Adventures in the New World!
by flygon24
Summary: The StrawHats have sailed deep into the New World.They meet people and friends along the way, including one girl with a dark secret.Join them as they experience joy,friendship, and tragedy. OC,Kaida,a tribute for my friend/editor rated T for langauge.
1. Prologue

_Deep within the second part of the Grand Line, in the New World, lays a hidden island. This island is called Emerald Island for its rich grasslands and beautiful greenery. It holds all the plants created in the world at the current time. Plants for medicine, eating, soothing, relaxing, sleeping, and some to be even used as weapons, are found on this island. Those who know about it, never reveal the truth about this land, for it holds the mystical water of the Youth Falls. Legend has it that those who drink the miracle water shall stay forever young. Many have searched, but undoubtedly failed to find this water, but even getting to the island is a difficult task all by itself. The area surrounding the land is filled with Sea Kings, giant monsters, and thick fog that can easily get sailors lost in the void. Also, it is said that a mystical dragon, by the name of Mother Nature, lives on the island. However, no one is sure if it actually exists, being that all, but one, has ever seen her. After they Straw Hat's adventures on Fishman Island, they depart on a new voyage through the New World. As time goes by, the Straw Hat Pirates are slowly venturing out towards this forbidden land…_

"SANJI! FOOD!" Luffy shouted hungrily.

"Shut your trap Luffy," the chef called. "It's coming, okay? Don't get yourself in a knot."

"But…I'm hungry. NOW."

"Go get some fish with the others and be of some use!" Sanji demanded. The boy with the straw hat huffed.

"Fine." He called for his friends and in no time, they were catching many fish.

"Yay! I got another one!"

"Ehh? Good job Chopper!"

"Darn it! It got away!"

"Yosh…more food!"

"Usopp, Chopper, Luffy, it's time for lunch!"

"YAY!" The three crewmates leaped into the air. As they walked into the Thousand Sunny's spacious kitchen, they thrust their fish towards Sanji.

"Nami-swan! Robin-chwann!" Sanji yelled out. "It's time for lunch! I've prepared everything especially for you two!"

"We're coming!" Robin replied. She marked her book and slowly closed it. Her eyes gazed upon the vast open sea. "It's a beautiful day today." Suddenly her eyes spied a misty area towards the west of the ship.

"Navigator-san," Robin called to Nami.

"What's the matter, Robin?"

"That mist. Towards the west. It's odd to see something like that on a sunny day like this. Don't you agree?"

"Weird…It looks like its only covering the west…"

"Nami, Robin, hurry up! Everybody is waiting for you and the food's getting cold!" Luffy shouted. "I'm hungry!"

"Uh, we're coming Luffy!" Nami hesitatingly turned around, still glancing at the strange fog. _What exactly is that?_ She thought worryingly. During lunch, Nami remained silent and her gaze never strayed from the open window. The other crew members-beside Luffy, who was greedily stealing everyone else's' lunches and hungrily gobbling them up- stared at Nami with a worried expression on their faces.

"Nami-swan, are you alright? You're not eating as much as you should," Sanji stated. His eyes turned serious at the prospect of the beautiful lady not feasting on the fine lunch he had carefully prepared for her.

"I don't know. Look outside, towards the west." Everyone turned their heads and followed Nami's gaze. Outside, the mist was slowly getting closer and closer by the minute, causing Nami to feel more and more uneasy.

"What about it?" Luffy asked-half a steak still in his mouth.

"It makes me feel uneasy just looking at it. I don't know why. This mist feels different than what we've seen before."

"You think so?" Usopp commented. He strained his eyes, hoping to see what Nami went but sighed. "I don't get it. It's just fog. What more is it?"

"Usopp is right," Franky slurred. "It's a SUPER fog, but its just a bunch of low lying clouds is all."

"Hey Nami...why do you think that fog seems so strange?" Chopper chimed in. His eyes grew large as he awaited her answer.

"Like I said, I don't know!" She quickly brushed a hand through her long, orange hair. "It just feels…weird. Like something terrible is about to happen…"

_CLLLLACCCKKKK! CREEEAAAKKK! GRRRRRRRRRRR…_

"What's that sound?" Chopper instinctively hid behind Nami's leg, though he was hiding the wrong way. He dug into her jeans and cried, "Make it stop! The ship is moving!"

"Calm down you guys!" Franky demanded. "I'm going to go check. Stay right here." He ran out the door and his sunglasses dropped onto the ground.

"What's the matter Franky?" Usopp asked. Franky turned around and yelled, "SEA KINGS! HUNDREDS OF THEM! SOMEONE, TAKE CONTROL OF THE SHIP! I'M GOING TO ATTACK!" With that, the crew scattered out of the kitchen and got to their stations. "Alright! Time for the Cola Cannon! Ready…GO!" The Thousand Sunny gathered a light-like energy and accumulated it into its enormous mouth. It was about to shoot when suddenly Nami yelled. "STOP!"

"What now?" Luffy shouted. "I was about to see the ship do that cool cannon thing again!"

"Something's not right. The Sea Kings aren't here anymore."

"WHAT?" Everybody turned to sea at least two dozens of the monsters slowly back away and eventually cower off into the distance.

"See? Look, now we're in the fog. Something really strange is happening." She glanced at the Log Pose. _That's funny. I thought there was an island here, but the Log Pose isn't pointing at anything…_"Anyway," Nami continued. "We'll just have to keep going forward. We can't really see anything in this fog."

"Hm, I guess you're right. In this fog, it'd be dangerous to blindly shoot a cannon…" Usopp commented. He sighed. "But what happens if we end up getting lost?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. The Log Pose is apparently still pointing towards the next island." Then suddenly, a voice rang out from above.

"Hey guys!" Zoro called. "There's an island up ahead!"

"What?" Nami said, alarmed. "How is that possible? The Log Pose is still pointing towards the east. Not north."

"What is going on here?" Robin gasped.

"Ugh, I think I have 'I-can't-go-on-that-strange-island-because-it's-scary disease again. And this time…it's serious…" Usopp feigned illness and pretended to collapse onto the floor. Chopper ran to his side.

"Hang in there Usopp!"

"My, my. What an unusual atmosphere that island has. This strange feeling is not like those other times when we've gone to islands like this," Brook commented. "My heart is beating like mad! But I'm just a skeleton so I have no heart. Yohohohohoho!"

"Oi, oi," Sanji mumbled. "Now isn't the time to be cracking jokes."

"Chill out Sanji!" Luffy laughed. "I don't know why you guys think that island looks strange. I feel adventure coming! Get the sails ready! We're going to land at that island!"


	2. In the Forest

As the Straw Hat Pirates docked on the island, they prepared to find a place to camp for a while and find resources. As the rest of the group began to work, Luffy stretched his arms out and breathed in the fresh, clean air.

"Yay! Finally a new island!" Luffy shouted joyously. The boy with the straw hat leaped off the ship and onto the soft, luscious ground. He ran towards the edge of a huge forest and looked left, right, and then left again. "I wonder if there's anything new to eat here!" He smacked his lips and drooled. "Hm?"

A deer skipped by. It stared at Luffy for a while and then bent down to nibble on a patch of grass near the shore. Luffy opened his mouth happily. "MEAT!" The deer's ears quickly turned at the sound of his voice and began to gallop off. It sharply turned into the forest as Luffy shot out his arms to catch the fleeing deer.

"You're not getting away!" Luffy yelled. He managed to clasp onto the deer and was about to haul it back when suddenly, he grasped nothing but air, and his arms flung right into his face. "What the hell? I just had it and then…it's gone!"

"Luffy! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sanji demanded. "Get your ass over here and help set up the camp!"

"Hm…must be a mystery deer," Luffy murmured to himself, a confused expression planted on his face. He raced over towards Sanji and told him about the incident.

"Idiot!" Sanji swiftly kicked Luffy's face, knowing that he would not hurt his captain. "Stop all this yammering and get your ass into the forest. We have to find some food for tonight."

"Sanji-kun is right Luffy," Nami stated. "We'll have to be staying here. The fog doesn't seem to be any different than before. You can come with me, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, and Zoro. We're going to be out searching for food. Come'on."

"Hm," Luffy answered. The strange incident from before still lingered in his thoughts. "Alright, I'm coming!" With that, the six crewmates went into the forest. It wasn't long until they found that the island was filled with fruits and vegetables and many animals appeared before them-however, they failed to catch any. This puzzled Luffy even further and concluded that every animal on the island was a "mystery animal". As the group drew nearer and nearer towards the center of the island, they heard a rustling noise.

"Who's there?" Nami demanded. She quickly turned around and blinked. "This seems suspicious." Her statement was soon followed by more rustling noises.

"I sense someone," Luffy stated. He prepared his arm, ready to attack if necessary. "It's weird though. I can only feel one person around here…"

"But…why would only one person be on this island?" Chopper asked. He sniffed the air for any clues of any person being present, but found none. "I can't seem smell anyone…"

"It doesn't seem that strange. This island has lots of food," Robin commented. "But coming here would be too difficult because of that fog and the Sea Kings."

"Whatever. Let's just find some food and leave," Zoro mumbled.

"Yeesh…just being here makes me feel queasy," Usopp muttered. "As if something is going to crawl up my pants and my sleeves and-ERGH!"

"Usopp!" Luffy turned towards Usopp and gasped. Usopp was dangling from a thicket of vines. "What the hell is going on?"

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled out helplessly. He shifted from side to side, hoping to be set free, but instead was being dragged up to where Usopp was-high above the rest of the crewmates. Just then Robin spotted in the corner of her eye, a shadow jump from a bush and climb up a tree. She crossed her hands, hoping to capture the mysterious shadow. _I have to catch whoever is attacking us! What…I feel…so weak…_she thought. Robin collapsed onto the ground, panting. "What is happening to me?" She glanced at her ankle. The grass was pulling at her leg! She tried to pry herself from the plant's grasp but failed. Soon, she was being dragged into the same fate Usopp had. Luffy and Nami stared in horror and shock. Zoro in response, placed one of swords into his mouth and was about to execute an attack when a bushel of sharp flower petals struck him.

"What the hell? Petals?" Zoro shouted in agony as they sliced through his skin. He tried to deflect them with his swords when he blankly noticed that his two other swords were missing. "What the hell? I was just holding them!"

He looked above to see the vines carrying them upwards. Zoro began to use his only sword when he slipped and began to dangle upside down. "Get me down!"

"Luffy!" Nami cried out. "We're obviously not wanted here! We have to leave n-mphh!" A light green vine covered the girl's mouth. It trailed up her body and grasped her arms and legs together. Then, in the blink of an eye, Nami's body was entangled with vines and thickets of leaves and twigs.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted. He closed his eyes and began to rely on his Haki. However, he still couldn't completely sense the ambusher. "Something's not right." Suddenly thick ivy leaves slithered its way towards Luffy. He instinctively jumped upwards, only for the plant to change its course and punch Luffy in the face. "What the hell? I'm made of rubber…how the hell did that hurt?" He rubbed his cheek in agony, somewhat impressed of the power the plant had. "This must be…a mystery vine!" Luffy concluded. He waited for it to make a move and soon, it made a full out lunge towards it and became caught between his hands. "Gotcha!" He chuckled and smiled. "You're annoying you know that? But now that I've caught you-WHOA!" The ivy suddenly burst into several different branches, creating a medusa-like figure, with ivy vines lashing out on all ends. Luffy gulped. "Oh man…" Luffy scrambled to his feet, only to trip and fall on the grass and be captured by the strange phenomenon.

"Luffy!" His crew yelled. "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine," Luffy still rubbed his sides and cheek. "But that thing has a lot of damn power!"

"It's weird don't you think so Captain-san?" Robin stated. "It's like that thing has a mind of its own."

"I just find it creepy," shivered Usopp. "Hey look!"

"Ah? We're slowly being sent downward a bit!" Chopper chanted. "Do you think whoever caught us is letting us go?"

"Hmph, whatever," Zoro huffed. His face strained an indignant face, having being struck by flower petals and getting stuck in a plant made net seemed much of an embarrassment to him. The crew remained silent as they spotted girl daintily step into the light. The girl wore a green tank-top, most likely fashioned out of leaves, which covered most of her torso and was supported by thin straps. She also sported a skirt made out of palm leaves and wore no shoes. She had long chocolate brown hair, dangling gracefully all the way down to her knees. She was a slender girl with dark brown eyes that showed a sincere look. She stared menacingly at the captives and grimaced. She spoke her words softly, but firmly. Each word seemed to sting like an open wound. Her words seemed hurtful, but it did not mock them at all. Her words rang out as she bitterly spoke.

"Who are you?" The mysterious girl began. Usopp gulped loudly as the rest of the crew grimaced, awaiting their fate. The capturer stared at them coldly. "And what are you doing here?" Usopp, Nami, Robin, Chopper, and Luffy, remained silent. They began to feel uncertain of what would happen next when a fox silently appeared next to the girl.

"We accidently landed here," Luffy stated quietly. He stared directly into the girl's eyes and suddenly, in a burst of energy, unleashed his Haki. Surprisingly, she did not even bat an eyelash. Luffy widened his eyes and pulled a confused expression.

"Wh-what happened? Luffy… your haki…it didn't even work!" Nami stuttered. She pulled her knees inward and began to shiver. "Who is this girll?"

"Whatever the situation, it doesn't seem to be going well," Robin stated.

"We already know that Robin…" muttered Usopp. The girl stepped backwards and smirked.

"A Haki user, I see," she deciphered. "A person's Haki won't work here. Not when I'm around." In an instant, she knocked out each of her captives, all but Luffy, whose strong will managed to keep him from fainting.

"My friends! Why did you do this to them?" Luffy shouted. He angrily made an attempt to gnaw at the plant ropes but hurt his mouth in the process.

"I just unleashed a bit of Haki. Not even my fullest power. Now, tell me your name."

"My name?" Luffy wondered. The girl nodded her head. "My name... is Monkey D. Luffy." The girl flinched and stumbled to her feet. Her eyes showed surprise and astonishment.

"Yo-you're," she couldn't find her words as they were buried by disbelief, "Monkey D. Luffy?"


	3. Kaida, the Girl from the Forest

"Hm?" Luffy huffed. He stared at the girl and raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard of me?" The girl said nothing but smiled.

"I have heard of you many times," she stated. Suddenly her demeanor changed. She eyes held a calm but childish look in her eyes. Her face no longer showed the ice-cold expression she had possessed before. She laughed. It almost sounded golden to her capturers as they eyes bulged at how her entire personality had changed. The girl brightened up. "You look a lot like him. Give or take a few features that are somewhat different."

"Him?" Luffy blinked. "Who are you talking about?"

"Your brother of course," her eyes softened. "Portgas D. Ace." Luffy gasped.

"You know my brother?" Luffy shouted.

"But, I am sorry for your loss. He was a great man who held honor and respect for people," she smiled once more at Luffy. He simply blinked, but pulled out his signature cheeky grin.

"It's fine. It couldn't be helped. But," Luffy nudged his hat a little downward and looked towards the girl, "now I have to definitely become the Pirate King! For Ace!"

"I'm sure that's a goal you'll accomplish," she stated. She lifted her fingers and twirled them in the air. Slowly, the vines that had engulfed Luffy disappeared into the Earth. His eyes bulged and sparkled.

"No way! Did you just control those plants and make them go away? Awesome!" He shouted. He stretched his arms out, happy to be able to stand again. "Thanks a lot! By the way, what's your name?"

"My name?" She paused for a moment and looked at the strange boy with the straw hat. "My name is Kaida."

"Kaida hm? It's a nice name," Luffy stated.

"Thank you." She glanced at the remainder of the victims. They remained unconscious as they lay helpless in the plant nets. "Who are they?"

"Those guys? They're my nakama."

"Nakama? I think I heard from your brother that you had a faithful crew. But… I don't trust them," she pointed at Luffy. "I only trust you because I have met your brother. He had done remarkable things to help me. He tells me a lot about his little brother, who apparently is you." She shook her head. "In this day and era, I can't seem to trust anyone."

"Hm, I'm telling you the truth though. They're my nakama. They always have been," Luffy stated. Kaida glanced at her feet and called out a name.

"Hikari!" She whistled and a few seconds later, the fox that had silently entered, came back once more. She crouched down and said quietly, "Can you tell me if their hearts are pure and if they really are Luffy's nakama?" The fox nodded her head and gracefully skipped towards the prisoners. She sniffed each one, nodding her head for each one. She daintily trotted back to Kaida and once again, nodded her head.

"See? Even that fox agrees with me!" Luffy laughed happily. "You're so smart aren't you?" He bent down to the Hikari. She skidded away for a moment but soon nuzzled against Luffy's outstretched hand.

"Gon, gon!" She purred. Then she crept slowly away and perched herself on top of Kaida's head. **(A/N (Author's Note): In Japanese, "gon" is the sound a fox makes.)**

"Your friends have pure hearts. I'll let them go," Kaida twirled her entire hand and circled it around for a moment. As she tossed her hands around in the air, the vines that encased Luffy's fellow shipmates began to disappear. They fell onto the ground, awoke, and stretched their arms and legs. Usopp's eyes bulged. _Who is this girl? Did she just…no that can't be…_

"Ah!" Nami yawned. "I can move again!"

"What a strange island…" Robin stated.

"That was scary! But Luffy made friends with that girl and we're saved!" Chopper and Usopp both joyously skipped about and ran towards Luffy. Zoro immediately received his swords and walked up to the girl.

"Are you mocking me?" Grumbled Zoro.

"What?" Kaida showed a hint of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that shit!" He yelled. He impatiently knocked his three swords against his shoulder. "You attacked me with _flower petals._"

"Yea. I did. What about it?" She raised an eyebrow while she awaited his reply.

"Did you not hear me? I was attacked by something I could easily cut! How did you make lame flower petals hurt me?"

"Idiot, do you know what Haki is?"

"Kind of."

"Then that's what I used. I can use all three types of Haki. I coated those flower petals with my energy from my Busoshoku Haki," Kaida explained. Zoro raised a brawl.

"Hm? So that's how your sorcery works?"

"It's not sorcery; it's power," Kaida corrected. Suddenly a loud growl was heard.

"A bear?" Usopp shouted.

"What? A bear? No more surprises please!" Chopper cried.

"That's no bear…" Kaida began as Hikari's ears turned towards the direction of the noise. "But it sounds pretty close to us…"

"Hehehe," Robin giggled. "That is because it's coming from Captain-san's stomach."

"Eh? Really?" Kaida's eyes suddenly sparkled and she began to act like a child. "How does his stomach do that?" She walked up to Luffy and placed an ear on his stomach, causing everyone but Luffy to sweatdrop. "What a strange sound it makes!"

"What are you doing?" Luffy shouted. He felt uneasy and Kaida lifted her ear off of his stomach. She stared at him with her pure, innocent dark brown eyes.

"You're a strange person you know?"

"Oi, oi-you shouldn't be the one saying that," Usopp stated, waving a hand. Chopper nodded.

"She was listening to his stomach..."

Kaida got up and brushed herself off. Hikari remained attentive on her head.

"Anyway, Hikari and I have to find something to eat. You're welcome to join us if you want."

"Ah, that's right-food!" Luffy licked his lips and smiled. "How 'bout you come with _us._ Sanji is probably making some yummy food right now…"

"Sanji?" Kaida stared blankly at Luffy.

"Oh, Sanji is our cook!"

"Yup, he makes tons of delicious food!" Usopp commented. His stomach growled, but not as loud as Luffy's.

"I don't know…" Kaida looked away and shrugged. "I don't want to come unexpected…"

"It's fine! I'm pretty sure Sanji-kun will be fine with it!" Nami laughed. Robin nodded her head in agreement.

"That's right! And Sanji will definitely let you eat because you're a pretty girl too!" Luffy added. Kaida blushed.

"Really? But I'm not pretty…" She stared at the others. It was somewhat true. Kaida had a pretty face and a nice figure. The only thing that kept her from being pretty was her unkempt hair. Since it was long, it was hard to control it. There were knots and tangles everywhere in her hair. Luffy just smiled.

"Nah, you're plenty cute!"

She reconsidered. "I guess I can take a look…"

"Yay! Then let's get going!" Luffy raced out of the forest. He quickly turned around. "Oh yea, Zoro."

"What?" Zoro mumbled.

"Follow me so you don't get lost okay?" He chuckled.

"I WILL NOT GET LOST!" Zoro yelled bitterly.

"Alright, alright," Luffy waved a hand dismissing his response. "Let's go!"

At the ship, Sanji and the rest of the crew remained puzzled as to what had happened to their fellow nakama.

"Argh! What could've happened to my sweet and lovely Nami-swan and Robin-chwan?" Sanji tussled his hair and waved his arms madly in the air. "What if they got eaten by man-eating gorillas? Or-or they fell into the ocean and were eaten by Sea Kings?" He imagined each image with horrific facial expression. "Or worse…Zoro, Usopp, and Luffy left with them on a new ship and sailed away so that I could suffer a horrible life without women!" Sanji crossed his arms and strained his eyes. "_NO. NOT AGAIN."_ The memory of being left on Moimoro Island and having to face the billions of newkamas in the Kamabakka Kingdom still remained fresh in his mind-his spine tingled over. He angrily tore off his Doskoi Panda apron and swore his anger out. He was right in the middle of his rant when the familiar voice of his captain rang in his ears.

"SANJIIIIII! FOOOOODDD!" Sanji turned, not to see Luffy, but to see not one, not two, but _three _girls running behind Luffy in haste.

"Nami-swann! Robin-chwan!" Sanji sang. His eyes turned heart-shaped as he thrust his arms out. His eyes drifted towards the girl running next to his shipmates. "Eh." He turned his attention immediately to the new girl.

"Luffy wait!" The girl laughed. She and the rest showed up soon after Luffy.

"Luffy," Sanji breathed, "who is that beautiful girl?"

"Oh her?" Luffy turned around to see Kaida introducing herself properly to Usopp, Robin, Chopper, Nami, and Zoro. "She was some girl that almost killed us in the forest. Her name is Kaida."

"Kaida…" Sanji murmured. "What a beautiful n-!"

"Sanji!" Usopp and Chopper yelled. Sanji had gotten yet another nosebleed. He rocketed into the sky and fell helplessly next to Kaida.

"I-is he gonna be alright?" She shyly pointed next to the fainted man lying next to her. Sanji's eyes opened.

"So sorry madam," he bowed to Kaida and gently took her right hand; he kissed it gingerly. "How may I be of service to you?"

"I guess he's going to be alright," sweatdropped Chopper on the sidelines. He sighed. Just then Hikari appeared.

"Gon?" She stared at Chopper intensely and smiled. "Gon, gon!" She began to cuddle him and talk to him.

"Really? Can you tell me more?" Chopper said excitingly. Hikari nodded her head as the two animals walked towards the campsite and settled down on a flat rock. They began to chat as Kaida dealt with Sanji.

"Oh, er, uhm," Kaida stuttered. She blushed, having never seen such a man in her life. "I'm just here because Luffy told me too…Are you part of his crew too?"

"YES! I am the cook of this ship. I make extraordinary dishes out of many things!" Sanji proclaimed proudly. "Even leftovers!"

"Really? Awesome! You can really do that?" gasped Kaida excitingly. "That's incredible!"

"Yes, but now it is lunch." He held his arm out to lead the way. "Right this way to our campsite, my lady."

"Oh, uhm…thank you," She replied. Kaida quickly went the direction Sanji's arm led to, but hurried to where Luffy was. "Luffy, you have an interesting nakama."

"I know right? And I absolutely love them!" laughed Luffy. Kaida's eyes widened.

"Are they all good people?"

"Of course! They've been with me through fun and hard times. They're my nakama!"

"It must be wonderful to have so many friends…"

"Don't you have a lot of friends?"

She shook her head. "No…" The two remained silent as they stationed themselves in a chair next to each other on a long table. Luffy was about to speak when Brook and Franky entered the scene.

"Oi, Luffy!" Franky called. "I checked the ship to see if it was okay after that Sea King attack. Everything's alright!"

"Eh, really? That's great!" Luffy replied cheekily.

"I had composed a new song today as well Luffy-san!" Brook chuckled. "I'll play it during dinner tonight!"

"Awesome! Today we will have a feast for our new friend!" Luffy shouted. Kaida's eyes widened at the word "friend". _Am I really their friend? That can't possibly be. I just met them today…_

"Friend? Who?" The two other crewmembers questioned. Luffy jabbed his thumb behind him towards Kaida.

"Her." The two peeked behind Luffy and gasped.

"Pretty…" murmured Franky.

"Yohohoho! My, what a pretty girl! My heart is pumping really fast! But I don't have a heart in the first place! I'm a skeleton. Yohohoho!" Brook laughed. Kaida's eyes nearly popped out.

"A skeleton?" She yelled. Silence drifted in the air as Brook and the rest of the crew waited for her to scream and be afraid. What happened next was totally unexpected. "AWESOME!"

"EHH?"

"A SKELETON! IT'S ALIVE! COOL!" Her eyes sparkled as she threw her arms up in the air and laughed. "You do have an interesting crew! How cool is it to have a skeleton for a crewmate?"

"By the way miss," Brook began. He loomed over her and quietly said, "May I see your panties?"

"What? Uhm…"

"DON'T ANSWER!" Everyone else yelled as Luffy simply laughed. Kaida hid herself behind Luffy and blinked. Her attention then turned to Franky. She stared at him for a while, trying to figure out what he was. Then suddenly, she asked, "What are you?"

"A cyborg."

"What's that?"

"A robot and a human combined."

"What's a robot?"

"It's a mechanical human."

"What does 'mechanical' mean?"

"It means like metal and stuff."

"Oh," whispered Kaida. Realization soon struck her. "SO YOU'RE MADE OUT OF METAL AND FLESH? NO WAY!"

"Yup! I'm a super cyborg man!" Franky struck his signature pose and yelled, "Ow! SUPERRR!"

"Eh? Super?" Kaida looked confused but smiled. "SO COOL!" She turned to Luffy. "YOU HAVE A SKELETON _AND _A METAL HUMAN THING? AMAZING!"

The Straw Hat Pirates laughed and during lunch they all had a wonderful time-eating Sanji's delicious food, chatting about the most random things, and watching Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper stick chopsticks up their noses and pretend to be retrieving water. All of them were happy, but none of them smiled brighter than Kaida.

After a short nap, the crew decided to go for a short swim, except for Robin and Brook-who were Devil Fruit users and decided to stay in the nice sunshine instead. Chopper, Hikari and Luffy however, played in a little tidal pool that Franky had made for them out of sand. It was a fairly large hole in the sand, filled with sea water, and designed to look like a pool, but not drown Chopper or Luffy (Hikari had no need to worry).

Regardless, Chopper and Luffy still wore giant tube rings, just in case if anything were to happen, they wouldn't drown. Zoro was still asleep underneath a large palm tree and Kaida sat on a flat rock watching Luffy and his companions play. After a little while, Luffy called for Kaida.

"Oi! Kaida!" He waved his hand at her. "Come into the water! It's really nice!"

"Oh, I," she stuttered. "I-I don't want to."

"Eh? Why not! The water is perfectly fine! Come on let's play!"

"I c-can't."

"Huh? Are you a Devil Fruit user too?"

"No…"

"Hikari," Chopper quietly asked, "why can't she come in?" Hikari remained silent and just stared towards her feet, not wanting to answer. Chopper pouted and looked at Kaida. _She looks a bit depressed…_he thought. To change the mood and the awkward feeling she was getting in her stomach, Kaida chimed in a suggestion.

"Hey Luffy! Why don't you build a sand castle?"

"Eh, sounds like fun!" Luffy shouted, seeming to forget everything in the past two seconds. "Chopper let's go!"

"Okay!" He hopped out of the mini pool and, with Luffy, began to furiously dig for the soft, moist sand underneath. However, they each dug a separate hole and soon Chopper was yelling at Luffy for filling up his hole.

"Luffy stop digging!"

"Gon!" Hikari agreed.

"What do you mean? I'm digging my own hole!" Luffy scratched his head. "Not again…this already happened in Alabasta! Don't tell me I found _another _mystery hole?"

All of this commotion made Kaida laugh extremely hard, so much that her sides began to ache. _It's been a long time since I've felt like this, _she thought. _The feeling of being with people…I've missed it...dearly... _


	4. Easy Come, Easy Go

Later, after their short break, the crew decided to settle down in the ship. Kaida and Hikari were also invited of course. Each crewmember had something to do. Zoro went about to is training room, Sanji had gone off to do the dishes, Franky went to fiddle with the ship's control room, Brook began to practice his new piece, and Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper took yet another nap, with Hikari joining them. Kaida wandered about the ship until she stumbled upon the girls' cabin.

"Hello?" she squeaked as she opened the door. Nami and Robin turned swiveled their heads towards Kaida.

"Oh hello there," Robin greeted. She was reading a history textbook from long ago while Nami was looking through her wardrobe.

"What are you reading?"

"A story about a boy who one day became a king."

"Really?" Kaida's eyes widened. "Is it a good story?"

"It's not entirely accurate but it's quite enjoyable."

"Hm? I see…" She turned to Nami.

"Nami…what are you doing?"

"I-I'm trying to find…oof! Something nice to wear!" Kaida cautiously peeked inside.

"Whoa! You have so many clothes!" Kaida gasped. She held her breath and continued to stare in astonishment. Nami turned.

"Not really, not enough anyway."

"Not enough? You have so much!"

"Don't you have this many clothes?"

"Of course not! I live in the forest, how the heck am I supposed to get clothes?" Kaida motioned to herself. "This is what I wear. If it breaks, I make another one exactly like it."

"Really?" Nami put her hand underneath her chin and raised an eyebrow. "You know, every girl deserves a makeover once in a while. You seem to need one."

"Hm? What are you talking ab-ehhh?" Before Kaida could finish her thought, Nami had whisked Kaida away into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She quickly opened a cabinet with all their toiletries and quickly grabbed a brush, a pair of scissors, a thick, purple scrunchy, and a blanket. She thrust the blanket around Kaida's body. She tied the back portion of her hair with the purple scrunchy.

"Kaida-prepare for a makeover!" Nami yelled determinedly.

"Wha-wha- NO!" Kaida screeched. "Ow, ow let go! Nami, let go! It hurts, AHHHHHHHHHH!" After a couple more minutes of horrific screeching, Robin turned around.

"What is going on in there?" The door suddenly slammed open, with Kaida gasping for air. She looked at Robin with her startled brown eyes and pale face.

"A-are you alright Kaida-chan?"

"Ha, ha, simply wonderful," Kaida panted between breaths. Her hair had been tamed and was supported by the purple hair band, excluding her two side bangs that seemed neater and dangled down towards her hips. Her enormous bangs that shifted towards the left was also much cleaner and well cut. She was dressed in a plan white towel that was held together with a clip. "Robin, you have to help me before-!"

"DON'T RUN AWAY YOU!" Nami yelled. She grasped Kaida and soon, had tied Kaida to her bed. Kaida tried to struggle but was immediately silenced by Nami's menacing glare. "Don't. Make. A. Sound."

"Mmphh-mmmph!" Kaida mumbled, muffled by the piece of cloth Nami had tied to her mouth.

"Robin!" Nami said cutely. "Can you help me choose an outfit for Kaida?"

"Of course." Together, Robin and Nami shoveled through their entire wardrobe until they found the perfect outfit. Kaida's eyes nearly bulged as she saw Nami and Robin draw closer and closer to her. A couple more minutes later, Nami yelled triumphantly.

"Yosh! Everyone!" Nami called. She stepped out their cabin and closer the door behind her. Everyone slowly came to the girls' cabin as Nami proudly announced that she had Kaida "reborn".

"Makeover? What are you talking about?" Luffy blinked. "She's already pretty isn't she?"

"Eh?" Everyone stared at Luffy in shock.

"Y-you actually think she was pretty?" Usopp gasped. Luffy nodded with his innocent face.

"Of course. I don't see why she needed a makeover…"

"WOULD YOU GUYS SHUT UP?" Nami demanded. The two immediately silenced as she opened the door. "You guys, Kaida!" The girl shyly stepped out with Robin. They gasped. She still had the same face as before, but she looked almost completely different in her new clothes and neat hair.

"T-that's Kaida?" Usopp weakly pointed. "Sh-she's…"

"Whoaa! She does look different!" Luffy shouted. Luffy was partially right. Kaida's hair, which had been once tangled and matted, was neat and beautiful but still contained her wild style. Instead of her self-made clothes, she wore a light lavender t-shirt with dark violet thick bands covering her chest and another that went from left to right diagonally. She sported blue, cuffed jean shorts and criss-crossed sandals. She seemed completely different to her spectators.

"Don't look at me like that!" She shouted after a couple more awkward minutes of staring. Then Zoro walked in.

"Hm?" He evaluated Kaida and sighed. "Who's the new girl?"

"THE CHANGE ISN'T THAT DRASTIC!" Usopp and Franky yelled.

"That's Kaida you idiot," Nami glared.

"Kaida? Really?" HE strolled up to her and blinked. "Don't see it; all I see is a prettier girl than Kaida standing here." He blushed a bit.

"SHUT UP THAT'S HER!" Nami punched him.

"FINE THEN. IT'S HER. DON'T HIT ME YOU MAD WOMAN!" He yelled while Kaida and the others laughed.

At night, the crew celebrated the meeting of their newly found friend, Kaida. Sanji held a great feast within the Thousand Sunny. Delicacies from all the seas were laid out on the table, Brook played his new music composition for them to hear, and everyone had an amazing time.

"Oi, Brook!" Luffy called. "Can you play 'Bink's Sake' please?"

"Of course, Luffy-san!" Brook raised his violin and began to strum the first notes of the song. "_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze kimakase namimakase…"_ **(A/N: I'm just going to add the romaji to this because English translation sounds too weird and its cooler :D if you would like the lyrics look on my profile :D) **Soon, everyone was singing along, with Kaida closing her eyes and smiling. _This song…it sounds so familiar. _When the song stretched towards the middle, Kaida opened her mouth and, to her astonishment, began singing as well. The others slowly stopped singing as they watched Kaida singing to Brook's tune.

"_Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni. Nami ga odoru yo, doramu narase. Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo, asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi." _She sang in her golden voice. At the end of the song, Luffy and others clapped and whistled.

"My…what a pretty voice you have Kaida-san," Brook commented. She blushed.

"Oh, I don't know what came over me…but thank you." The party continued further through the night. At the peak of their festivities, Luffy raised his mug and yelled.

"To our new nakama!" He cheered.

"Genpai!" Everyone else raised their mugs and shouted with him. Kaida's eyes widened.

"Wait!" She shouted. The crew turned towards her. "Since when did I become your nakama?"

"Just now. I've decided. You and Hikari are joining my crew," Luffy smiled.

"B-but I just met you today…There's no way that could ever happen!" She protested. Memories of her past suddenly began to hit her. Her eyes became frightened, scared, and lost. Hikari simply barked in joy and began to play with Chopper.

"Of course it can!" Luffy huffed. He faced Kaida and looked her straight in the eye. "You're part of my crew got that?"

"But I-"

"Cheers!" Luffy shouted with the others, drowning Kaida out. She remained quiet for a while but soon returned to partying. Long after the celebration, the men of the crew had fallen asleep. Robin remained awake in her cabin, studying a couple of history texts and reading. Nami had gone out on a walk on the island's shores to map the island. When she was returning to the ship, she spied Kaida solemnly sitting on a rocky edge near the shore. The girl's long hair wisped in the night sea breeze-a lonely look in her eyes. Nami cautiously climbed towards Kaida.

"I know you're there Nami," she stated. Nami flinched.

"How did you know?"

"I can sense you with my Haki."

"Oh I see…" Nami mumbled. "Well then," she sat herself next to Kaida, who had curled herself into a ball. Nami waited for her to say something and remained awkwardly sitting next to the quiet girl.

"Nami," she finally spoke. "Do you ever feel… alone?"

"Hm? What do mean?"

"Like…no matter where you go…no matter who you meet-you are always alone." Nami blinked but smiled.

"Yea. I've felt like that before…" she paused. "But, that was all before I became part of Luffy's crew." Kaida lifted her head and stared at Nami.

"Really?"

"Mhm." Kaida remained silent. Her eyes drifted towards the moon.

"The moon is really pretty tonight, don't you think?"

"The moon?"

"Yea…when I usually look at the moon, I always feel sad," she sighed. "But tonight, I don't know why, but I feel happy and peaceful when I look at it." A few more moments of silent flew by. Nami kept glancing at Kaida, then to the moon, and back to Kaida-wondering what was wrong. "D-Do you think…that Luffy really _does _want me to join you guys?"

"Well, of course. It's Luffy after all. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it."

"But I just don't get it!" She shouted suddenly. She grabbed her hair and gently pulled. "I just met you guys today…how can you all just accept me into your crew?"

"He's like that all the time," she reassured. "He just chooses who he feels like choosing."

"Hm…" Kaida mumbled. Suddenly tears formed in her eyes. "I-I don't want to join you guys!"

"What? Why not?"

"I-I just can't!" Kaida stood up and started to walk away when Nami's hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Why? Why can't you? Just tell me! That way, I'll understand!" Nami protested. Kaida stopped and began to tremble.

"I-I…"

"What?"

"I CAN'T TRUST YOU GUYS!"

"Huh…" breathed Nami in astonishment. She couldn't believe Kaida-the girl that had seemed to be so much fun, seeming to trust them, didn't actually believe in them. "Why," murmured Nami. "Why…Why. WHY?"

"I CAN'T TRUST _ANYONE_ ANYMORE!" Kaida gasped. She slapped Nami's hand away and shot an angry, sad, confused face at her. "I've met pirates before. I hate them. But some of them fool me. I've trust too many people in the past, they've all betrayed me. They say they are my friends, only to backstab me later on. In the end, I'm just…ALONE!"

"Kaida…please…we're not like that…"

"AND HOW WOULD I KNOW?" Kaida yelled, trying to prevent more tears from falling. "They all say that! They always do! Who can I trust?" Suddenly a rumble was heard. It shook the rocky outcropping that Nami and Kaida were on. Kaida wiped her tears away and remained silent. "I-I have to go, Nami."

"Wha-? To where?"

"It doesn't matter where. Thank you for being with me today. I still don't trust you…To tell you the truth, I had fun, but the whole time- I was scared of being left alone again." She began to walk away and leaped onto a tree branch, but turned. "Nami…please tell Luffy…'I'm sorry'." With that, Kaida leaped away, quickly jumping through the thickets of trees.

"Kaida, WAIT!" Nami yelled. "KAIDA!" However, Kaida was already too far away, to hear Nami's cries.

"I'm sorry you guys," Kaida whispered sadly. "I'm sorry I had to lie…" Fat, wet tears dripped down her cheeks as she ran through the trees. _I can't let you guys get hurt by the darkness inside me…_


	5. The Warning

Nami's outstretched hand seemed to be paralyzed. She slowly closed her hands, biting back tears as she recalled Kaida's words.

"_I'll be going. And I won't be coming back." _

"Why Kaida," she mumbled. "WHY?" She yelled out to the moon and the stars in the cool, night sky. "H-how do I tell Luffy all of this? He was the one…" her shoulders slumped, "who wanted her…to join…" She stood up and gently slapped herself. "Well, fine then! She can do what she wants!" She marched downward but stopped to glance back at where Kaida had leaped away. "But…why would she do this?" As she trudged down the slope to the ship with one thought remained stitched to her mind, _Luffy…I hope he'll understand…_On the ship, Luffy and the others had awoken.

"Hah! That was a good nap!" Luffy yawned. He looked around. "Hm? Where's Kaida?"

"Kaida…didn't she say she was going for a stroll outside?" Usopp mumbled, still half asleep.

"Yea…" Chopper murmured. Hikari suddenly barked.

"Gon, gon!" She yelled. Her ears pricked up and nudged Chopper awake. "Gon…gon, gon!"

"Y-you're leaving?" Chopper eyes awakened and his jaw dropped. "B-but why? We were having so much fun!"

"Gon…" Her ears drooped and she shook her head. "Gon, gon-gon."

"Y-you can't tell me? Wait!" But Hikari had already turned into a shadow and disappeared.

"What's happening? First Kaida isn't here; now Hikari is leaving?" Then Nami appeared.

"Oh, Nami! You came just in time," Usopp jabbed a finger outside. "Hikari just left and do you know where Kaida is?" Nami remained silent and instead, tears began trickling down her face.

"Luffy…"

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Kaida…she…isn't coming."

"What?" Usopp and Chopper murmured. "Not coming?" They turned to their captain.

"Hmm…that's alright. I'm sure she'll be back by morning."

"No…She's not coming back, Luffy," Nami stared at Luffy-who merely blinked. "She's not coming back."

"That can't be," Luffy protested angrily. "She's part of our nakama! Didn't you stop her? Nami please tell me-"

"LUFFY! SHE'S GONE OKAY?" Nami blasted all her emotions out. "SHE TOLD ME, SHE'S NOT COMING BACK. DEAL WITH IT YOU IDIOT!"

"Nami…" he whispered as he watched Nami slowly collapse onto the ground, weeping. The other crewmember appeared.

"Navigator-san, what's wrong?"

"Oi, are you alright Nami?"

"Hikari….Kaida…they left us," Chopper mumbled quietly. His head stared at the ground as he refused to look at any of his nakama.

"She's not coming back…and I don't even know why! Is there something we don't know? A secret maybe? I don't care anymore!" Nami then began to describe what had happened on the rocky cliff by the shore. The night, the scene, the tense feeling there was in the air, everything. She poured out her thoughts and tears spilled everywhere.

"And in the end…Luffy…" she turned to the straw hat boy. "She told me to say 'sorry' to you…"

"Alone?" Robin wondered when Nami had finished. "Kaida-chan seemed very happy with us."

"Yes…she ate, played, and sang with us after all!" Brook chuckled.

"She seemed SUPER well too."

"She looked a bit troubled though," Sanji stated. He blew out a few puffs of cigarette smoke.

"Sanji's right. This afternoon Kaida didn't want to play with us in the water," Chopper commented. His face grew tense as he remembered the event.

"Oh that's right," Usopp joined in. "She seemed really bothered about going into the water. But she wasn't a Devil Fruit user or anything."

"Yes I remember…" Nami mumbled. "And when that rumble occurred, she suddenly had to leave…" Zoro, who had remained quiet attentively listening, spoke up.

"So…to sum it all up," they looked at the swordsman. "We actually know absolutely nothing about that girl." Their eyes widened-finally face to face with the cruel truth. They did know nothing about her. The only things they were sure was that they had met her on the island, that she was not a Devil Fruit user, and that she had known Luffy's brother, Ace.

Everyone remained huddled together solemnly thinking. The girl that was energetic, happy go lucky, and exciting earlier that day, seemed like someone completely different the way Nami had described. Their eyes showed no emotion whatsoever as they quietly waited for someone, anyone, to make a move. Then, Luffy stood up and nudged his hat closer to himself.

"Yosh…I've decided that Kaida is joining our crew. And there's _no _way we are leaving this island without her for sure!" He climbed up towards the crow's nest, stood up, and took in a big gulp of air. His crew looked on with confused looks on their faces.

"KAAAAAAIIIDDDDAAAAA! YOU AND HIKARI ARE JOINING US! DON'T GO AWAY! WE'LL WAIT FOR YOU! "

"EHHHHHH? LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO THAT!" His crew shouted, waving a hand in the air.

"L-Luffy, you can't be sure that they heard you!" Usopp stuttered, his usual pessimistic view taking over. "They could be miles away on this huge island!"

"Don't worry! I know they heard it!" Luffy laughed. "Anyway, tomorrow, we'll start looking for Kaida, understand my nakama?"

"Hm, sounds like fun," Robin giggled. "I wonder if we will find her…"

"Yosh…I'll help look for Hikari too!" Chopper's eyes sparkled with a strong heart of determination within him, filling others with hope as well.

"We will find her!" Nami yelled. "I know we will!"

"Hooray!" They all yelled. And…far, far away…Kaida jumped through the trees as Hikari materialized herself onto her head.

"Gon…" she murmured with her ears drooping.

"Don't worry…" Kaida whispered, the wind swirling her words into the breeze. "If we're truly meant to be, we'll meet them again soon." However, even her own words seemed doubtful. They were unsteady, like pebbles on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall any moment, ready to let go everything. Then a voice echoed into her ears. Kaida blinked for a split second behind her when she felt her spine tingle. Somehow, her mind suddenly heard a voice resound; the words were blurred and faint, but still audible.

_"We'll wait…for….you!" _The phrase echoed in her mind. She smiled. _We will meet someday…someday when all my darkness has disappeared. Some day, where I'll be able to be with you guys without the heavy weight that rests upon my soul... _She leaped through several thickets of trees and daintily landed the grass below. She travelled a little farther, journeying deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally, she reached a bush with flowers that shined like gold. She gently pushed the plant aside and uncovered a big boulder. She pushed the boulder aside and slid into the hole underneath the rock. She fell in and landed safely on the ground below. Underground, the plants beneath the surface were more beautiful and plant life thrived everywhere. Flowers bloomed everywhere and towards the east was a sparkling waterfall. Its water flowed smoothly to a spring and then trickled into a stream of water. Next to it, in the shadows, laid a huge figure. Kaida looked around.

"Kaida…" A sweet, gentle voice murmured.

"You've awoken, mother." Kaida smiled. "I was worried…you slept for a while."

"I know…I'm sorry. This ancient body of mine…it's getting better but I'm getting older." Kaida giggled a bit.

"Mother…I met a few strangers today."

"I know. I sensed them on this island."

"They were good people…but I couldn't let them know who you and I are…" Kaida's eyes dulled as she remembered her selfish act. "I-I can't let them find out…"

"I know child…" The mysterious figure shifted into the warm, bright sunlight revealing its true figure. Its wings glittered in the sun, shining like newly polished diamonds. Its magnificent golden horns, twinkled, its keen yellow eyes held a look of intelligence and otherworldly knowledge. She raised her long, thick neck and looked at Kaida. "However, ever since you came here, things have been more peaceful. You have sworn to be to be the guardian of this island, for you-and only you- bear the symbol of the Eternal Dragon." Kaida remained silent and rubbed the top part of her arm. She rubbed harder, and a leaf crumbled and fell out onto the ground.

"I know," she murmured, still clutching her arm. "I didn't show them the mark…I covered it with a tan, skin-toned colored leaf and used some plant glue." She rubbed harder until a bright, emerald colored light began to show from her arm. In the sunlight, it glittered as the lights danced upon the mark. The mark was a dragon hunched over with its wings and tail forming a circle. Within the circle, a full-bloomed flower lay in the middle. It was a majestic mark, but was potentially dangerous if anyone outside the island's inhabitants were to see it. The dragon represented Mother Nature, the dragon god of nature. The flower represented life and all things of nature while the circle symbolized a cycle. In all, it represented the circle of life known as the Eternal Dragon mark and was given by Mother Nature.

"That is good. We cannot let them see that," the figure blinked. "For you and I both have secrets to keep."

"Yes…you are a dragon, Mother Nature, and I'm…" Kaida trailed off. Mother Nature sighed.

"You must make them leave. If they come looking for you, chaos may strike."

"I know but," Kaida paused. The image of Luffy's wide grin and goofy, innocent look appeared in her mind. "They were truly kind people. Why can't I trust them?"

"Though I hold the world's knowledge, I lack the ability to figure out how others feel. It's something you, yourself, must uncover."

"W-Why does it have to be…so hard?" Kaida whispered. She hunched her back and crouched into a ball. Hikari nuzzled her and settled down next to her.

"Gon…"

"Life is difficult, Kaida," the dragon replied. She raised her voice. "But you should be proud of the things you have done. Look around you. All that is here, all that lives, breathes, and grows here, is protected by you. You've done well for these past 13 years…"

"Thank you mother," Kaida murmured.

"After all, your protection…is the only one of its kind. I have my own, but for now, I am too weak to fight."

"I understand mother…anyway, you should rest," Kaida backed away slowly. "You need to save all your energy towards your recovery. Don't move."

"Yes…I'm getting older, but I will never die."

"Still, rest. I'll be back with some food. And…" Kaida's voice lowered as she blushed while whispering, "I-I may go for a little swim." The dragon smiled.

"Of course dear. But stay out of sight. No one must find you."

"Yes mother. Goodbye. Hikari, let's go!"

"Gon!" The two leaped away into the distance, still remaining on the underground floor.

"Let's hurry," Kaida stated. The fox nodded. They began to run-towards the hidden lake. Meanwhile, back with the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy had set up an expedition team to look for Kaida.

"Yosh! You guys, we have to find her got it?"

"We know, we know…" Usopp muttered.

"We must find Hikari as well!" Chopper shouted, throwing a hoof out in a determined pose. "We'll find Kaida too!"

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted.

"We should split up," Sanji stated. He blew out a stream of smoke. "That way, we'd cover more ground and find Kaida-chan and Hikari faster."

"Oh, okay Sanji," Luffy agreed. "Alright! I'll go north by myself!"

"Are you sure you want to?" Usopp raised an eyebrow. "You won't get into any trouble will you?"

"Don't worry, don't worry! I won't get into much trouble!" Laughed the captain. The rest of his crew sweatdropped, knowing their captain would most likely do another stupid thing.

"Whatever…I'll go with Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!" Sanji swooned. "Let's go ladies."

"Alright, Cook-san," Robin stated.

"Okay then…" Nami sighed, smiling. "I guess I'll just go with you. We'll go east."

"I'll go with Chopper to search in the west!" Usopp said proudly. "Don't worry Chopper," he stated firmly. "I'll protect you."

"Eh? Really? Thank you, Usopp!" Chopper thanked cutely.

"Brook, Zoro, and I will look around the shores of the island," Franky motioned towards Zoro and Brook with his huge mechanical hand.

"Let's go!" The pirate crew marched into the forest, each group going a different direction. Luffy had gone towards the north, running as if his life depended on it. "Wait for me Kaida!" He ran faster and faster, brushing across bushes, ducking under low lying tree branches, jumping over the roots and streams, and literally tearing through the trees. He went on for another half hour until he accidently tripped over a tree root and tumbled down a steep hill. He spun with great momentum, eventually crashing into a large, gray boulder.

"What the hell is this?" He inspected the boulder, closing one eye. He knocked at it. He tapped at it. He sat on it. He glanced at it from a farther distance. He laid on it. He looked at it upside down. Finally he reached a conclusion to move the boulder. "Yosh…one, two...three...heeee!" He grunted as he desperately tried to move the boulder. "Why is it so heavy?" He shoved it once more. It slowly creaked and moved a millimeter per minute. "This is taking to long!" Luffy shouted.

He backed away from the rock and suddenly sprinted towards the boulder and shoved it away. However, he lacked the power to stop and tumbled down a hole that the rock was covering. "WHAT THE HELL? AGHHHHHHHH!" _Thwump, twang…thump, thump. _Luffy bounced off the ground and finally settled in a criss-cross sitting position, looking confused. "What…just happened? Mmm?" He glanced around at his surroundings and stood up. "Where…am I?" The boy smacked his lips. "Eh…I'm all thirsty now! I wonder if there's a spring here or something." He wandered around for a bit, getting easily sidetracked by the strange flowers he kept on seeing. He eventually made it to a little spring. Next to it laid a stone tablet with moss and vines tangled onto it. Luffy read it aloud.

"_Look into the water. What do you see? This-" _The rest of the message was blocked.

"Hm? That doesn't make any sense. What the hell does that even mean?" Luffy shrugged. "Oh well, water time!" Luffy greedily gulped the water in great quantities. His mouth bulged as he continued to sap the water from the spring. "Ah! This water is so clean and fresh!" Finally, his thirst was quenched-he wiped his mouth, smiling. "I'm full of energy again!" Then he noticed the water replenishing itself and began to show colors. He peered at more closely. The colors began to blur- then form a picture.

A murky image of a straw hat began to show. Luffy gasped. With his own eyes, he saw it. The picture was of him, his nakama, Hikari, and Kaida. The scene depicted his own crew, laying still on the ground and covered in blood and bruises; the picture of the straw hat was in fact, Luffy, remained in the corner of the misty image, holding his hands out signaling "stop" to a girl who was towering above him. The picture also showed a hint of bright green on the girl's right arm. He began to pant, feeling worried.

A girl with long flowing hair and a dark look in her eyes, and a black fox, with a menacing stance, stood next to her…_long brown hair…a dark fox…that can't be… _The image began to stir and another image formed. This time, it was Luffy with an incredibly distressed, scared look on his face and his bloodied and poisoned nakama lying motionless all around him.

"My nakama!" Luffy trembled as he fell backward. He threw his hands into the water, trying to tear the picture apart. "What…what does all this mean?" He tore at his hair and continued to thrash at the spring. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a pile of leaves blocking out part of the stone tablet. He brushed it away, uncovering the second part of the warning.

_"-is your future." _


	6. Clues to the Past

**Wow…I haven't done a disclaimer in a loongg time xD so… One Piece belongs to my hero, Eiichiro Oda! Oda-sensei…you are a pure GENIUS. 3 I fail epic writings.. sorry…. OTL . all charas belong to him except for Kaida, Hikari, and Mother Nature. happy reading! **

"M-m-my future?" Luffy shouted. His eyes, his body, his entire soul started to tremble. The thought of his nakama leaving him forever stunned him. He had already lost his dear brother, Ace-if his nakama left him as well; he wouldn't be able live on-his life wouldn't be worth living anymore. He looked into the water to see if anything else had shown-nothing but clear, crisp normal looking water. He shook his head. "There's no way. No way…no way at all…" Luffy gasped for air. "I have to protect my nakama…I don't even know when all of this will happen…" A rustle was heard and slow, heavy, thumping noises drew closer to him.

_Thump, thump, thwump, thump…_

"W-Who's there?"

"What are you doing here?" A stern voice asked. He turned around. Behind him, was a huge dragon. Its eyes stared with a blank expression- a look of not hate nor distress, simply calmness.

"I-I'm L-Luffy, I don't know what I'm doing here…" he gulped.

"Luffy? I have been waiting for you."

"What?" Luffy stuttered, still in shock. "You're a…dragon…"

"Yes. I see you can see that," the mythical creature stated. She raised her head. "My name is Mother Nature. What brings you here to my underground forest?" Her voice was hollow and distant, yet sweet and gentle. Luffy relaxed a bit, feeling somehow…calmer than he was previously before.

"I accidently landed here."

"I know…" She glanced behind him. "Did you take a drink from that spring?" Luffy nodded his head. "I was afraid of that."

"What do you mean?" The dragon paused, thinking carefully of what to say next and waited. "I saw something in there," his voice muted a bit. "Is what I saw going to happen? And when? Why?"

"Those who drink that water will learn of their fate. It will happen soon. As for why, I do not know. I cannot predict the future. That depends on your own choices."

"Is my nakama really going to die then?" Luffy's agitated voice rose steadily as his anger burned brighter. "They're going to die?"

"I…do not know," the dragon settled down on a soft patch of grass near Luffy. "I told you before; I am not one who tells the future. Destiny does."

"Why can't you tell me? Are you really that unsure? Please, tell me!"

"Silence child!" The dragon suddenly balanced onto its feet with its wings spread out wide above her head. Her mouth gaped wide open, showing off her razor-sharp line of ivory teeth. "Listen to me!" The boy remained silent. "I do not know what the future lies for a man such as you! I've seen your actions, I have doubted you, your enemies have doubted you, the _world _has doubted you! Can you see now? Destiny does not apply to you! How can you be so sure that what the water is telling you is true?"

Luffy stared at the dragon, realizing his own arrogance. He looked at her, then at the ground, then towards the water, and then towards the ground. He thought about his beloved nakama, whom he had missed for so long.

"I-I…I'm…scared." Mother Nature's eyes blinked as she laid down, sighing.

"I understand. You are afraid. And…you do not fully understand it but…you must be afraid of Kaida."

"Kaida?" Luffy pulled a confused expression. "Why her? She's so nice."

"There is darkness in that child. Leave her alone."

"Are you saying…the girl I saw in the water was," Luffy gulped, fearing the worst. "K-Kaida?" She said nothing but solemnly nodded her head.

"The events you have seen, whether they come true or not, the people are still there."

"Th-that can't be…there's no way! She's so innocent and cute and…and…"

"Things are not what they seem. An example would be Kaida."

"What…sort of darkness does she have?" Luffy raised an eyebrow and stared into the beast's eyes. He unleashed his Haki but the dragon didn't falter.

"Haki…your haki surpasses many pirates I've seen before. However, I must keep her past a secret. If anything were to be heard, she would _never _beable live the life she has always wanted."

"I have a question," he looked at the dragon.

"Hm?"

"Are you Kaida's friend?" Silence drifted in the tense atmosphere.

"Yes. I am her mother."

"Hm? Then you're my friend too! Kaida's friend is my friend! And you're her mother? Interesting!"

"Indeed. But I feel as though I really am her mother."

"That's fine!" Luffy smiled, temporarily forgetting about his problems. "Having a dragon for a mom must be cool…Shishishishi! **(A/N: That's how Luffy laughs :D) **  
>"By the way, if you happen to see Kaida…tell her that…she's welcome to come back and that…she should come back!"<p>

"There is no guarantee I will be able to see her today…"

"Oh..." was Luffy's disheartened reply.

"But…I will tell her."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Luffy laughed. He nudged his hat. "Well, I better go back."

"Back to your crew?"

"Yea."

"Luffy…can you please cancel your search?"

"Hm? Why would I do that?"

"It would be better for your and Kaida's sake."

"Hm, really? Well," Luffy looked at the sky and smiled.

"I'm not going to cancel the search just because you tell me to."

"I see…well that is completely up to you of course…but I am warning you: be careful. This is an island that you can not easily escape."

"Hm…that sounds like fun though! But…I will remember. Sorry to not listen to you, but I've already decided that she's gonna be part of my nakama," he pointed a finger at the dragon. "And not even you will stop keep that from happening."

"Oh? I see," she smiled. "You truly are a pirate aren't you? Well, since you still plan to search please; take this as a gift." Mother Nature shuffled backwards into the darkness and returned with a huge portion of meet twice as large as she, who was already quite big.

"REALLY? For me?" Luffy drooled. "Can I really take this?"

"Of course. I am nature, so I don't need meat to keep me alive and well. Just fresh air and sunshine."

"Really? That's pretty cool! Thank you Nature-san!"

"No problem, Luffy. Now go-your friends are waiting."

"Mhm!" Luffy nodded. He found a few thickets of big, round leaves, wrapped it around the meat, and carried it away on his back. "Bye Nature-san!"

"Be careful! Good-bye!" Mother Nature smiled. When Luffy vanished from her line of sight, she sighed. "That boy, could he be the one that can bring Kaida out to the world?" She looked up at the clear, endless sky. _I cannot tell him…that what will happen to his nakama is true. And a certain pirate…will be responsible for it all…_

Meanwhile, with Usopp and Chopper…

"Chopper catch up!" Usopp shouted.

"I'm trying!" Chopper replied, stumbling on his little feet. "Oh, wait!" He turned into his regular reindeer form. "Why didn't I think of this before?" _It's a good thing I didn't transform when Hikari and Kaida were here…they would've been freaked out! _

"Hahaha!" Usopp laughed. "This island doesn't seem so scary huh?"

"You're right!" They stopped and took a look around them. It was true that the island wasn't scary. In fact, it was beautiful. Flowers of every color glittered in the dappled afternoon sun. The grass was green and the island seemed to be like a precious jewel hidden from the rest of the world.

"Ahhh…" Usopp and Chopper sighed happily. They breathed in the fresh, crisp, clean air that the plants produced. It was a warm and wonderful day.

"Kaida and Hikari must be really lucky to live on such a pretty island," the sharpshooter murmured.

"Uh-huh…"

"Anyway," Usopp said, shaking his head. "We gotta go and look for her and Hikari. Luffy would be mad if he found out we were just sightseeing." Chopper nodded. They wandered around until they reached part of the forest that seemed a bit sketchy. Sunlight did not reach this part of the forest, only a few strands of yellow light streamed through the treetops. The two gulped. They looked at each other, sweating with fear, and nodded. They boldly took a step into the darkness and travelled onward. Suddenly, Chopper nose shifted.

"Usopp I smell something…weird."

"Weird?" Usopp tried using his own long nose. "I kinda smell something…something like…meat?"

"It's not just meat," he shuffled his face around and closed his eyes. "It's more like…rotten meat."

"I guess…it smells pretty bad." They drifted, still figuring out the strange smell when Chopper stopped cold and crumbled to his feet.

"U-Usopp…that smell…" His eyes showed fear and shock, his ears twitched as sweat trickled down his fur. "That smell…it's…it's the smell of death!"

"D-death? What do you mean by that?"

"Bones…dead bones. Many of them…I-I can smell them. They're close to where we are." The two scared nakama gulped and cautiously took each step with care. As they journeyed on, the sunlight got dimmer and dimmer to the point where very little light flickered where they were. They gasped. Before them, in the dark, murky aura of the forest, lay mounds and mounds of bones. Skulls hung on little branches in the low-lying bushes. Bones of every kind lay scattered in random places in the horrific scene. The little light in the area merely added a bit to the terrifying discovery. Their eyes bulged as sweat had now begun to practically pour down their backs and their throats became dry.

"Usopp…"

"Chopper…" They said together in unison.

"KKKKKKKKYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" They shouted together. Their legs remained glued to their spots, weighing the two down like heavy granite. They couldn't make a run for it.

"W-what is all of this?" Usopp muttered. He glanced at Chopper who was shyly hiding behind his leg.

"U-Usopp…I see something glittering in the sunlight!"

"What? Where?"

"O-over there!" The reindeer gestured a hoof towards a skull with a glass, capsule like thing encased around it. Usopp slowly crawled towards the mysterious item until they stood right before it.

"I've seen this before…somewhere…" Usopp rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. Chopper impatiently waited for his response. "I got it!"

"What? What did you get?"

"This helmet…it's the ones those Celestial Dragons always wear!" Chopper observed it closely; he reverted back into his human-reindeer form. He squinted his eyes and in the corner of his eye, he spotted a strange mark on the skull next the Celestial Dragon one.

"Usopp…Look!" Chopper pointed at the skull with the strange symbol on the back of it. "It looks like…a circle…and three triangles…"

"Hm? It kinda looks like a hoof!"

"Really?" They peered at it suspiciously. Chopper bundled up his courage and timidly picked up the skull, observing it. "It looks like had been branded on this person's head but it was such a deep burn it must've burned right to his skull."

"R-right through his skull?" Usopp threw his arms up and scared tears began to flood out of his eyes. "Creepy!"

"It also looks like all these skulls and bones are from pirates." Chopper added. He shuffled across the graveyard with Usopp trailing behind him. "Look, there are a lot of tattered clothes around here. And a peg leg-and a hook-and some bandanas-and even some cigars."

"But I there's one thing I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"What would all these bones of the dead be doing here on the island?"

"I guess that's true…the only person living on the island…"

"For all we know…" Usopp continued. "Kaida is the only one living on the island. It couldn't be?"

"It _can't _be…c-can it?"

"I'm not sure." The long nosed man gulped, "but for now…all we know is that there's a killer on the island and…it's most likely…Kaida." As Usopp finished his sentence, an image of Kaida swept through his mind. Her innocent eyes and smile flashed in his memory, the short time she had spent with the crew seemed to be all eternity to him. He shook his head. _It can't be her. That's not possible. She's too….innocent. _

"Anyway," the reindeer coughed, shaking his head. "We should probably keep looking for Hikari and Kaida."

"Mhm. Okay."

At the same time, Sanji and the two female members of the crew had travelled a great distance on the island. They reached a rocky mountain and had climbed to a fair height, eventually ending up on the flat, crest of the mountain.

"Ah!" Nami breathed after chugging a canteen of water. "This island's really pretty!"

"You're right," Robin smiled. Her raven black hair flowed gracefully in the breeze. "This mountain air and the scenery is quite refreshing after being on the sea for so long."

"Haha! Yup!" the navigator agreed.

"Are you ladies tired? Do you need some more water-food perhaps?" Sanji sang. His eyes turned into heart shapes as he bowed down graciously before the two women.

"I'm fine but thanks Sanji-kun."

"No need, Cook-san."

"Alright!" Sanji saluted. "Being with two beautiful women…and if we find Kaida…that'll be three! Whoo!" His face turned extremely perverted and soon, he was stumbling on his feet trying to restrain another nosebleed from erupting out. He successfully managed to calm himself down as he breathed heavily on a rock. Though they were at the top of a mountain on the giant island, the top seemed just like the ground underneath. Instead of rocky outcroppings and jagged boulders like one would normally expect, the land was unusually flat and full of plant life. Flowers bloomed in the crevices, tree roots were tangled in huge bulks on the ground, and vines hung from the trees like draperies from a window. There were even caves and pits dug around the area-this sparked Nami's interest.

"Hey look!" Nami pointed to one particular cave. "Let's go exploring for a bit. We can look for Kaida and Hikari while we're there!"

"Yesh Nami-swan!"

"Alright, Navigator-san." Sanji packed up the chairs and the rest of their belongings. "Let's go!" They began to walk towards the cave when Nami spied a glittering object in the sunshine's rays of golden light. She raised an eyebrow, a thought forming in her head as she ran ahead of the other two. She disappeared into the cave. A few moments passed when a scream was heard.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Nami yelled. She stepped backwards as she plopped onto the ground.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji shouted worriedly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Nami! What's the matter?" The two quickly trotted up towards Nami, staring at her. They blinked for a few moments as they slowly followed Nami's gaze and gasped. Before them lied a mountain of treasure! Heaps and heaps of rare jewels and possibly hundreds pounds of gold trinkets as well. Everything glittered brightly in the afternoon sun as Nami remained paralyzed with her Beri eyes showing.

"S-so much…." She took a deep breath. "TREASURE!" She dove right into the massive piles of gold and jewels and immediately began to feel dazed.

"Damn…that's a lot of treasure!" Sanji ran a hand through his hair and laughed.

"My…look at all that money!" Robin giggled. She peeped around a bit and added, "there's at least 500 million in here!"

"5-500 MILLION?" Nami threw her hands in the air, throwing coins of beri and trinkets and jewels in the air. "I've hit the jackpot!" The three soon were scurrying through their newly found luck and began to take as much as they could. Despite the five bags filled with a huge sum of treasure, there was still a least a dozen more heaps of it in the cave. The cave was big enough to hold all the treasure, but small enough so that a couple people could actually live in it.

"Nami-swan, we ran out of bags!" Sanji called.

"We have? But there's still so much left!"

"Navigator-san, why not just map this area so that we can come back to it?" Robin suggested. Nami snapped her fingers.

"Brilliant! Hold on for a moment…" Nami took another 15 minutes to mark where they were on the island. From her previous walk around the island yesterday, she had a pretty good idea on exactly where they would be. "Done!" She stuffed her map into her handbag and looked towards the sky, smiling.

"Nami-swan," Sanji called out. "We should get going. It's going to be dark by the time we get back."

"Yea…you're right Sanji-kun."

"Let's search for Kaida as we retrace our steps."

"Alright…Let's go!" As the rest other two groups and Luffy made their way back to the ship, Franky and his group had already finished searching around the huge island.

"Hmm…looks like we turned up empty-handed," Franky mumbled.

"Uh-huh."

"Look the others are not here yet, yohohoho," Brook chuckled. "I guess we'll have to wait a while."

"They probably got lost…" Zoro yawned.

"Nah…" Brook and Franky murmured quietly. "That's something you would do."

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Sorry…sorry…"

"Anyway, they better get back fast…" Franky took off his sunglasses. "It's going to get dark pretty soon."

"I'm sure they'll come later."

"What is that…?"

"Hm?" The swordsman and the shipwright turned to see their skeleton rock star gawking into the distance. Zoro stared at him and followed his line of vision.

"Hm? A ship?"

"What, a ship?" Franky stated. He followed their gaze and blinked. In the distance, not so far away, was a ship with a pirate flag. The flag had the traditional pirate skull and around it was a circle of what seemed to be waves. The flag billowed in the wind as the sails unfurled. It was a large vessel, twice as large as the Thousand Sunny.

"That's a huge ship!" Franky commented. "Its craftsmanship is a bit lacking though."

"Never mind that Franky!" Zoro scolded. "They're pirates!"

"I wonder how they go through the fog…Do you think they came here on purpose?"

"Looks like it," Franky observed. He took a pair of binoculars and peered through them. "It looks like…the captain is telling them to unload something…looks like a cage of some sort."

"A cage? For trapping animals?"

"I don't know. Here," he handed the binoculars to Brook.

"Hmm…what a strange cage. It's filled with sea water!"

"Sea water? What are they-trying to catch some fish? Gimme those." Zoro grabbed the binoculars and looked at the foreign pirate crew. "It is a weird cage. And they've got some sketchy looking handcuffs too. They're all spiky and red and black…Weird people."

"What do you think they're doing here though? I thought Kaida was the only one on the island."

"Maybe…they got lost?"

"That can't be. I already told you," Franky stated. "They look like they know what they're doing."

"Still…don't you think that cage and the other traps they're unloading look a bit suspicious?"

"Mhm," the other two nodded.

"We should just go right over there," Zoro proposed. He placed a hand on one of his katana.

"And what do you plan to do once we get there Zoro-san?" Brook asked. Zoro huffed.

"Cut them of course."

"What's wrong with you?" Brook slapped Zoro's shoulder in a comical manner.

"Chill you guys!" the cyborg stated. "We can't just attack them without reason!"

"Hmph. I guess you're right about that."

"We should just wait for the others to show up. Then we'll decide what to do."

"Alright, I guess." The man with the green grass hair looked at the setting orange sun. "They better hurry up though. My swords are itching to cut some people."

"Right…anyway, we should wait for them on the ship," Franky suggested.

"I hope they're alright," Brook looked into the forest. "I'm straining my eyes and ears hoping to see or hear them…"

"Hm?" Zoro looked towards Brook with his left eye.

"Ah! But I'm a skeleton. So I have now eyes or ears! Yohohohoho! 45 degrees!"

"Okay then…" sweatdropped Zoro. They boarded the Thousand Sunny and waited until the sun had completely vanished under the cerulean waves of the endless ocean. Night began to fall upon them. Not too long after, each group started to appear. The order went as Usopp and Chopper; Sanji, Nami, and Robin; and the last to show was Luffy, who was carrying a ridiculously large portion of meat on his back.

"What the hell?" The straw hat's crew mumbled under their breath. They watched with annoyed expression on their faces.

"Oi! I got some dinner!" Luffy called. He smiled as he met face to face with his crew. "By the way," he said as he set the meat done for Sanji to roast, "did any of you find her?"

"Nope…" They all said together. Their faces became solemn and Franky spoke up.

"Luffy, you guys, look over there." He motioned his chin over to the strange pirates docked near them on the island. They watched for a little longer as more items were unloaded while an enormous man directed them all.

"Pirates? Here?" Nami muttered under her breath.

"Strange, I wonder if they're here by chance like we were."

"That can't be," Zoro stated. "We noticed them before you guys came along and if you look carefully; they actually look like they know what they're doing."

"Hm….this is troublesome. They're obviously pirates too with that flag."

"Hm…anyway," Brook brushed himself off. "We should go inside to discuss. Those pirates are making my stomach flutter, but I'm a skeleton so I have no stomach! Yohohohoho!" They shuffled into the Thousand Sunny's spacious kitchen room. As the dim light from the setting sun began to slowly drift down, they settled comfortably inside the room. Then Luffy sneezed.

"That reminds me…." Luffy began.

"HOW DOES A SNEEZE HELP YOU REMEMBER?" His crew shouted. Luffy blinked.

"You guys…you guys have to stay in the ship from now on."

"Hm? And what gave you the decision for me to stay?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. He walked up to Luffy and pulled at his rubber cheek. "Listen here Luffy, there's something strange about this island. We can't afford to just have you go out there and have all the fun!"

"Zoro's right Luffy!" Chopper chimed in. "We're nakama after all, we can't leave you all by yourself on this island!" His voice slowly dropped to a low, quiet tone. "Me and Usopp found something really scary today…"

"Mhm," Usopp crossed his arms and nodded.

"Really? We also found something today," Sanji blinked. "Is there some connection with all of this?"

"You guys don't understand," Luffy's eyes suddenly became harsh and stern. "Today I saw something. Something that…that is important to me."

"Now, let's lay out what we found on today's search."

"We found over 500 million beri today!" Nami squealed. Her eyes showed obvious signs of greed and somehow, they were shaped like beris'.

"It was a huge sum of money!" Sanji added. "We had a bunch of bags with us, but even with all of 'em, we still couldn't bring it all back!"

"It's true you guys," Robin delicately rose a hand and with her Devil Fruit powers, hoisted at least a dozen bags filled with treasure in front of them.

"Wow! Awesome," the others mumbled, dazed.

"But it's strange still don't you think?" Robin added. "What would all this treasure be doing here?"

"Who knows…this place just gets creepier and creepier…"

"That is kinda weird…"

"Alright…" Usopp began. "So today, Chopper and I searched wide and far across this dangerous island!"

"Oh boy…" Nami rolled her eyes.

"Shh!" Usopp pressed a finger against his lips. "Anyway! We scavenged the island for any hints of Kaida! But instead…"

"We found a graveyard! And it was too creepy!" Chopper's eyes began to spill tears everywhere. "Too scary!"

"Mhmm…" Usopp's lip curled as he tried to put on a brave face but soon, tears began to pour out of his eyes as well. "It was too scary! Everything…so many bones…skulls…creepy!"

"Kya! Never again! Never again!" Chopper shouted. He hugged Usopp and began to tremble with the sharpshooter.

"Oh and also…" Usopp added. "We found this really strange mark next to this one skull that was encased with a glass thing…like the one the World Nobles always wear."

"I hate those bastards!" Luffy's arms flailed upward. "Those guys nearly killed Hatchi!"

"We know Luffy, we know," Usopp said, calming Luffy. "But listen…there was this really weird mark on the skull next to it..."

"Hm? What did it look like?" Luffy asked. An image of Boa Hancock's back flashed in his mind.

"Well…it looked like…" Usopp grabbed a piece of paper as Chopper handed him a pencil. "Let's see…there was a circle…and three triangles…" The others peered over his shoulder as Luffy gasped.

"Hey…I know that symbol!"

"So do I," Robin stated. She looked at her captain. "But how would you know that Captain-san?"

"I saw it…uh…somewhere," Luffy said, not making eye contact.

"I see."

"Well…don't keep this between yourselves!" Usopp demanded. "Tell us!"

"This mark is a symbol that belongs to the World Nobles. They label their slaves with this claiming them to be "less than human" and more of a possession."

"T-that's awful," Chopper murmured. "World Nobles are horrible people…"

"Mhm, yes they are," Robin strained.

"So you said that you found a skull with that next to a World Noble's skull?"

"Wait Luffy," Franky interrupted. "Why would a World Noble's skull be buried here? I thought that those annoying bastards don't get out very often."

"I guess, but Usopp!" Chopper squeaked. "The skull was very old; the World Noble must've been an old man when he died here."

"Really? But that still doesn't help at all…"

"Wait, I think I might have an idea!" Robin said. She breezed out of the room and came back with a book in her hands. She turned to a page where a beautiful, glowing waterfall filled with clear blue water. She pointed at the description next to it. "Look."

"Hm? What about it?"

"It says here that there is a legend about an island that holds a magical waterfall with the power to give someone the ability to stay forever young. It says here that 'one who drinks thy water shall stay young forever.'"

"The power to stay young…forever?" Nami shouted.

"Yes…it also says that its located on an island that very few have been to, and none have returned from. The island is said to be well hidden and also filled with greenery."

"So…it could be this very island? And an old World Noble was looking for it?"

"I don't know…but the more you think about it, the more likely it seems."

"Makes sense," Sanji simply joined. He blew out a puff of cigarette smoke. "Those evil, mermaid-buying idiots would definetly be selfish enough to try and find some magical water to make them young forever. But the question is who killed him?"

"It can't be…can it?"

"I don't know, it's possible it might be."

"It can't be!" Luffy shouted.

"Luffy, calm down!" Nami replied.

"But it can't be her! You all saw how she was yesterday! She was so nice!"

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. "You forgot how when we first met her, she nearly killed us!"

"N-no she didn't! She just captured us."

"Captain –san, what the others says is true. We don't have evidence to prove it's Kaida, but we can make predictions." Robin looked sternly at her captain as the others looked on.

"It's can't be her! She so nice! And innocent! She even has a dragon as her mother!"

"What? A dragon?"

"Mhm. I saw it all!"

"Wait," Robin paused and blinked with fear in her eyes. "Does this have anything to do with what you saw? Tell us Luffy!"

"Oh that's right."

"Please tell us," Nami whispered. Tension rose in the air as the Straw Hat Pirates awaited their captain's story.

"I saw, all of you…hurt, poisoned, nearly dead…" He collapsed onto the soft, cushioned chairs circling around the table and brushed a hand into his black hair. "You guys…really have to stay in the ship. It's too dangerous…" He described his adventure in the forest, discovering the secret passage, finding his crew's and his own fate, and meeting the dragon. The others gasped in disbelief, truly unable to comprehend what he was saying. Luffy spoke all of this with a tone full of scared emotions. When he was done, the others remained quiet as twilight fell upon them…

"Hikari, look out for me okay?" Kaida said to her little fox. It nodded its head and sat gently down on a patch of grass, looking attentive. Kaida quietly slipped into the little pool of warm, sea water. She stayed in there for a few moments, still looking left and right with a suspicious eye. Finally, a few more seconds passed, a dull glimmer shined from the water. Kaida lifted her legs, which were not legs, but a beautiful mermaid tail.

"Gon…" Hikari glanced towards Kaida and smiled. "Gon!"

"Yea…I think it's pretty too…pretty dangerous though."

"Gon? Gon, gon…gon gon!"

"Hm? It's interesting? I guess, I wish…" A rustle was heard. "What was that?" She whispered loudly. She curled into a ball; Hikari's ears pricked up. "Someone's coming!" Kaida's hands began to glow a brilliant green aura and soon vines entangled around them.

"Gon?"

"Maybe…it's most likely them." Suddenly, quicker than someone could blink, a pair of spiky red and black handcuffs tore through the vines and clasped onto Kaida's wrist. "What? Hikari, run!"

"Gon?" Hikari's ears twisted backwards as a way of refusing.

"Go Hikari, run now! You can't be captured go! Tell Mother!"

"Gon…"

"RUN NOW!"

"Gon!" With that, Hikari disappeared into a shadow and began to run. Several handcuffs, each a deep blood red color, flew near the fox's path. With each weapon launched at her, she dodged each one gracefully and ran faster with each dodge, Kaida's words ringing in her ears. Back with Kaida, a torch set the vines ablaze, everything turned to ashes.

"Hehe, we finally found you," a grizzly voice rasped.

"Let go of me!" Kaida shouted. Her tail flipped around and slapped another man's face.

"Oi, oi! Calm down girlie!" Another voice yelled. It was higher pitched and had a drunken slur to it. "We're not gonna hurt' cha! Just wanna make a profit for our captain is all."

"I said let go! Dammit, these handcuffs!" She shouted louder. The grizzled man clasped her mouth shut.

"Now you listen here missy, if you keep yer yelling up, we're going to set this island afire!"

"No…You couldn't possibly do that!"

"Yes we can. Our captain is just that crazy about you!"

"Hehehe," the other man laughed. "We've set a load of dynamite on this island. We're going to destroy everything that's important to you…._everything."_

"So cooperate!"

"Unless you want this island to sink to the bottom of the ocean!"

"Mmmf!" They tied a crude piece of cloth to her mouth.

"Hehehe, won't the captain be proud huh?" The bigger man said, an evil smile spreading across his mangy face.

"Indeed…" the other replied, showing his own evil, toothy grin. "Indeed…"


	7. Rescue Kaida, Eh!

**forgive me for being so late...and I wanted you guys to read this so if i made grammar/spelling mistakes, IM SORRY T^T anyway, enjoy! review plz :D **

**~crystal**

Back at the ship, Luffy and others still remained silent, each thinking their independent ideas and decisions. The air was hot, heavy, and full of tension. The eerie night only complicated things. Just when Luffy was about to speak, a black swirling vortex spun in the center of room on the table. Their eyes bulged as an animal began to materialize itself.

"Hikari!" Chopper yelled, still dazed. He reached for Hikari as she barked happily. But then she grew stern.

"Gon…gon, gon!"

"What?"

"Gon, gon…gon, gon!"

"What is she saying Chopper?" Luffy asked. Chopper gulped.

"K-Kaida's been…kidnapped!"

"What?" Nami muttered. She collapsed onto the couch and held her head in her hands. "No way…"

"Hmph…so those pirates were behind this," Zoro mumbled with his arms crossed.

"We don't have any solid evidence that it's them, Zoro-san" warned Robin. She leaned towards Hikari. "Tell us, who kidnapped her?"

"Gon…gon, gon gon."

"Translation?"

"It was those pirates…" Chopper said in a mute tone. He stared hard at the ground. "She said their symbol looks like a skull with waves around it in a circle. And from what we saw outside….it was definitely them."

"Hmm…" Luffy hummed with his eyes closed. "Yosh! So those are the guys I have to beat up right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Usopp yelled. "Listen Luffy. Get this through your tiny brain. They _kidnapped _her. Got it? And those guys are probably not idiots like you, which mean that they probably are, most likely, hiding out somewhere."

"Hm? Your point?"

"Never mind. The point is, we have to find them first then you beat the snot out of them okay?"

"Then let's do another search!"

"We don't have time for that!"

"GOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!" Hikari howled suddenly. She began to run around in circles, panting heavily. "GOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!" She screamed once more. Chopper rushed up to her.

"What's wrong Hikari? Ahh!" Chopper tumbled backwards and slammed into the wall. "T-The ship is rocking!"

"What? Is there some tsunami or something rocking the Sunny?" Franky shouted. Then, in the blink of an eye, the ship was submerged into the water.

"What the hell is going ooonn?" Luffy complained as hit smacked into the walls.

"Franky, can't you do anything about it?" Nami shouted across the room.

"I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong!" A few more rough minutes past by, as the Thousand Sunny rocked and tumbled in the water. Surprisingly, no water was getting into the ship as they seemed to be going through an underwater passage. Finally, the ship broke through water and bounced up and down upon the waves. They bundled up their courage and stepped outside. Still fairly dim, they had made it to the underground forest system beneath the island.

"Where….are we?" Nami whispered, her words dancing away in the cool breeze.

"Huh? Hey…this is where I met that dragon!" Luffy stated. He looked around. "Man….this place is so much cooler at night!"

"COME HEREEE," a voice bellowed from beneath the shadows. Hikari's ears perked up and she bounded off the ship and into the darkness.

"Gon!"

"Huh? Who said that? Was you Nature-san?"

"Luffy! I must speak to you!"

"Who…is saying this?" Usopp shouted. "Luffy? Explain please?"

"There is no need for him to explain." As a few glittering rays of sunshine pushed its way through the thick treetops of the strange, underground forest, the speaking figure was soon revealed. Head held high, her yellow eyes looking far and distant, wings lay calmly against her back, Mother Nature appeared. "Take a good look at me. And listen to what I have to say."

"Wha-wha—you-you're a-a-a…dragon!" The others shouted.

"How…did you bring us here?" Sanji shouted, his cigarette falling from his gaping mouth.

"Yes. Settle your emotions and thoughts and listen!"

"Yes, Nature-san?" Luffy wondered as he sat down on a patch of grass before the dragon. The others simply plopped down on the grass next to Luffy; they shook their heads and sighed.

"Y-you aren't evil right?" Chopper asked timidly.

"Evil?" Mother Nature raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, we met another dragon…he also talked and was really, really, _really…scary." _

"Really? I will not hurt you. And…do I seem scary to you?" Chopper and the others eyed the dragon suspiciously. They didn't seem very found of dragons after the incident at Punk Hazard.

"I- guess not…" he concluded. The dragon smiled.

"That is good. Now please listen. My name is Mother Nature. I rule this island and am the life force of all nature, plants and such. And also…"

"Mhm."

"I know, where Kaida is."

"Y-you do?" Luffy screamed. "Tell us, please tell us!" The dragon raised her head towards the east.

"The Pirates that took her were the Tsunami Pirates. They are evil pirates who sell mermaids and other wildlife across the black-market. They are constantly chasing after Kaida and Hikari. For now, they are hiding in a cave within the eastern part of the island."

"Can you tell us where in particular?"

"Only a bit-and I can only give you a few details." She closed her eyes.  
>"They are hiding…in a large cave-filled with traps. On the outside, there are five boulders, only one will open the door. The others will…hmm…I suppose set out traps or an alarm system. And…the boulder that will open their lair has strange writing carved on it."<p>

"Hmm…" Her eyes strained as she pulled a confused expression on her face. She opened her eyes.

"I am sorry. That is all I can give. Those pirates have learned to avoid my surveillance for these past decades…"

"Decades? Just how long are these pirates chasing after Kaida?" Robin asked. "Shouldn't they give up if they've never caught her?"

"If only they would…I…cannot tell you know. Maybe when the time is right…" She cautiously began to back away, slowly, into the remaining shadows of morning.

"Wait, where are you going?" Zoro shouted. "If you're so focused on getting Kaida back, aren't you coming along?"

"I cannot."

"Ttch. So you're just demanding us to help you?"

"Zoro!" Nami quickly punched Zoro on the head. "Stop you moss-brain! Can't you see she's helping us? Don't ask that question! She's a freakin' dragon! We had enough trouble with that other one!" She rasped.

"Still, why can't you come?" Robin demanded.

"Robin!" Nami whispered nervously. _Why Robin…why? If we get her angry, who knows what this dragon will do to us! _Nami thought. The archeologist turned to Nami.

"Well, if we're going to ask, we should at least do it politely." She turned to the dragon. "Well then, why?"

"I am a dragon. You do not normally see my species out in the open. And also, I am sacred to this island. I do not die, but as I get weaker, plants will die out, some may grow out of control…"

"And put the ecosystems of out balance…I see now," Robin finished.

"I am also injured…before you all arrived here; maybe a year ago…some unruly pirates of another name rampaged this island and nearly killed me."

"Killed you? But didn't you say you live forever?"

"I do, but because of that, I endure pain longer and recover at a much slower pace. I'm useless for now."

"I can help!" Chopper yelled. He transformed into his human form as he walked over to the dragon, forgetting about his past fears.

"Can you really?"

"Mhm!" He looked over the dragon, checking her temperature, looking at the color of her glossy scales, and observed the harsh wounds and scratches she had. "That must've been one terrible battle."

"Yes, it was."

"Gon!" Hikari appeared next to Mother Nature holding a branch filled with pink, round berries in her mouth. She smiled and set it down in front of the dragon; she bowed. As she turned away, she barked, and then growled.

"Gon…gon!" Hikari woofed. She looked suspiciously at Chopper.

"H-Hikari, it's me! Chopper!" Chopper reverted to his hybrid form. "See? It's me! I didn't tell you this before…but I can change forms 'cause I ate the Human-human fruit!"

"Gon?" Hikari trotted towards Chopper and sniffed him; her tail wagged. "Gon!" She gave Chopper a friendly lick. "Gon, goon!"

"Are those berries?" Chopper asked as he glanced behind Hikari. She nodded and looked towards Mother Nature. Then, a group of animals appeared as well. Many forest animals, including birds and other strange creatures, gently set leaves, branches, and bunches of berries before Mother Nature.

"Thank you all. Please continue to protect the island." The bowed graciously and nodded.

"Who are they?" Brook asked.

"Those? They are the special inhabitants of the island that are the Shadow Guardians."

"Shadow Guardians? Does that mean Hikari has special powers or something?" Chopper asked.

"Now that I think about it…she does appear out of nowhere in some shadowy blob thing a lot," Zoro stared at Hikari with a confused expression.

"Gon?" The fox simply cocked her head to the side cutely.

"Well, it doesn't matter, she's so cute!" Nami squealed. "But I am curious, how did she get them?"

"Once every 100 years, a baby animal of each species is destined to fall into a secret passage that leads to this underground chamber. Hikari fell here as a little kit; destiny chose her."

"You guys have weird cultures around here," Usopp said.

"Well, we have to protect ourselves." Mother Nature's voice went quiet. "Even with all the protection outside of the island, some few can make it on the island. We have to ready ourselves."

"Interesting…"

"Hm!"

"What's wrong Luffy?"

"Mah…How long are we gonna keep blabbering about this? We need to save Kaida!"

"The straw hat boy is right," the dragon sat upright. "You should hurry now. Please, I shall reward you greatly. That is…you probably already have taken some for yourself."

"Eh? How did you know?" Nami gasped. Her expression turned stone cold. "You're not getting it back though."

"I have no need for treasure such as that. I am a dragon. What use is money to me? You may have it all. And after all this chaos is over, you make take the extra caves filled with gold!"

"Awww... you're too kind Mother Nature-sama!"

"'Sama'?" Usopp mumbled, giving a look of resent.

"Shut up Usopp…" she growled back between her teeth.

"O-okay…"

"Let's search for Kaida!"

"Wait Luffy!" Sanji shouted to his captain. "Some of us should stay here to watch the ship and make sure not one makes it to this underground thing." He spun around to look at the dragon. "And you, Nature-chan, do those annoying pirates know about this place?"

"No, I am sure they will soon. It is possible they are relearning everything. I have the power to erase minds as well, but each generation of those pirates have learned from the past about this island. And much worse, they learn more."

"That can't be good…well then," the chef whistled. _I must protect these ladies first! Besides, I can trust Luffy with Kaida-chan. And if something bad happens…I will be with Nami and Robin! _He thought, giggling. "Nami-swann! Robin-chwann!" Do you want to stay here with me?"

"Okay Sanji!" Nami smiled.

"That's fine by me," Robin replied.

"Luffy, you and the others can leave."

"Don't tell me what to do, ero-cook!" Zoro yelled.

"Well, same to you shitty marimo!" Sanji replied haughtily. "Go cut those pirates and leave me alone or something."

"Why you little- you know what. I'm going to stay here than!"

"Asshole…" gritted Sanji between his teeth.

"Guys…at least cooperate for a change," Usopp urged. "Get along. Luffy, Chopper, and I will search for Kaida."

"Hmph. Fine."

"Oi, you guys, hurry up!" Luffy laughed. He started to run in circles then suddenly he froze. He jogged backwards and smiled cheekily. "By the way Nature-san, how the hell do we get out of here?"

"Well, go stand on that leaf."

"Hm? This one?" He stood upon a giant leaf. Its beautiful shade of green glistened in the coming sunlight.

"Yes."

"Oi, guys! Over here!" His crew walked over and jumped on the leaf.

"Whoa…"

"Ready?" Mother began. "Hold on tight!" A green aura glowed around her golden eyes. The leaf slowly began to rise then suddenly, shoot upward, the green light glowing around the crew. They gasped as Luffy laughed, enjoying the ride. They brushed past treetops and flew overhead. Soon they spotted an opening at the top.

"Look!" Chopper shouted. At the top, was Hikari. She barked giddily, anticipating their arrival at the top. As soon as they got the top, Hikari immediately perched herself on Luffy's head.

"Gon!"

"Eh? Oh hi Hikari! You comin' too?"

"Gon!" She bluntly replied. She looked ahead with a determined expression on her face.

"Alright, let's go!" As they started to run faster and faster, trouble was brewing in the Tsunami's secret hideout.

"Tell us you useless girl!"

_SMACKK! _The club crashed onto Kaida's head.

"NEVER!" She screeched as blood trickled down her forehead. They had let her out of the strange snow globe-like cage filled with sea water. She dangled helplessly in chains hanging from the stone ceilings with the mysterious handcuffs still locked on her wrists. "Go kill yourselves and leave this place!"

"My, my…you're a feisty one aren't you?" A chubby crew mate commented. He tore off a piece of meat greedily. "You better tell us-you already know what will happen if you don't."

"Tell us where the hell it is already!" A ruffled, old man barked. He swung a sword menacingly in the air. "If not, die!"

"Calm down you idiot! We need her to be alive. If she won't spit out the information, at least we can sell her at a high price."

"But we NEED that information! The captain's gonna kill us if we don't got it by tomorrow night," a man with the beard stated. He squinted at her and brushed his hand against his pistol. "Now listen here, if you don't give us the information we need, this island is going to blow up before your very eyes. Everything will be gone. Everything that is important to you. _Every. Last. Thing."_

"You could never do that," Kaida smirked. "This island is more powerful than you think! Nothing will destroy it! Especially you low-life rats!"

"Why you little-"

_SMACKK! SMACKK! _The club went down on her again and again.

"Never! Go away! When I get out of here, I'm going to finish you and the whole crew!" She screamed. "You'll never find out! You useless bastards!"

"Shut up you fish! We're going to find that dragon and the magical spring! But don't worry; we'll sell you for a lot of money so you know your own personal value!" The grizzled man sneered. "You'll thank us for bringing you out to the world."

"Yea, think about it," the other man who had captured her. His eyes grew tense and evil. "You can be free once you're out there with someone else."

"And what would you know about freedom? You're all just some mangy, dirty mutts working for a man not worthy to be called a pirate!"

"What was that about being 'not worthy to be called a pirate'?" A voice growled. The door of the dark room swung open. An enormous figure thumped towards Kaida. She scowled and stared at the figure with a dark look.

"Captain!" The men all shouted.

"We were just beating this piece of crap to help with your mission sir!" A crazed man persuaded. "'Cept this fish doesn't spit out anything but shit!"

"Move away. I'll talk to her." He showed no emotion while he shoved his weak underlings into the walls. He breathed heavily as the scent of rotten fish and rusty metal coins drifted into the room. He bent his back slowly and eyed Kaida who stared at him with pure hatred in her eyes. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"You know _exactly _what I want to know. Spit it out you useless fish thing." He gave a swift kick to her neck as she yelped. More blood flowed down her dark brown hair, staining the cold stone floor with red. "Tell me now."

"N-never," she coughed bluntly. He grunted, blasting her with his murky scent.

"Get me my lighter," the captain demanded, still staring at her. He reached into his dirty brown coat and pulled out a pack of cigars. He dropped them on the floor beneath her hanging feet. "I'll show you unworthy who's unworthy to be _alive_ you brat." The captain snatched the lighter his underling offered, lit it, and dropped it onto the cigars.

"Everyone in your family is the same. You're all just cowards hiding behind your crewmates and acting big like your size!" Kaida snarled. "I'll never forgive you and I'll never tell! Even if I die like this!"

"Big words for such a little girl. Too bad this really is how you'll die…And what a pity too," he turned towards Kaida as he turned to leave the room. "I could've definitely sold you for a damn high price with such a pretty face." Kaida remained silent as her head hung over the ever growing ashes resting on the floor; the pirates cackles as the captain slammed the door behind him-the sound echoing off the walls of the stone lair.

"I…I must…get…out," Kaida coughed softly. "I've g-gotta get, ack, these cuffs off!" She shook vigorously in an attempt to shake off the cuffs but to no avail. "Useless." She waited for a few moments as the fire grew brighter and brighter with each spark catching on the glowing cigars. She closed her eyes. The scent of the fire rose in the air, slowly suffocating Kaida, who still showed no emotion whatsoever. The smoke slowly slithered in the air, eventually lightly drifting and mingling with the other scents in the hideout. The fire grew larger, like a monster eating away towards Kaida. It swirled a bit and had gotten large enough to burn ankles of Kaida's feet-still she did not stir. With each growing flame, Kaida began to become even more pale and lifeless. A few thuds were heard outside the door.

Then suddenly the door burst open!

"Kaida!" A voice shouted. Rough hands began to shake the handcuffs on Kaida as the sound of someone punching the stone walls resounded. "No use!" A large figure appeared and tore the chains that held Kaida from the stone ceiling. Barks were heard and the fire had been extinguished. Kaida slowly opened her eyes and looked up.

"Luffy…Chopper…Usopp…"

"Kaida!" Luffy stopped and dropped to the ground. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you too much did they?" His worried tone and face made Kaida smiled. The other two huddled around her.

"I'm fine…but it's no use. You can't take these shackles off," she breathed softly. She began to cough hysterically, trying to catch her breath. She fell to her side. "Save, ack, the island. Please…go."

"Her condition is getting worse. She must've breathed a lot of smoke from that fire."

"Stop being stupid and let's go!"

"I can't…too tired…" her eyes closed as she began to breathe heavily.

"Argh, whatever!" The straw-hat boy hoisted her up onto his shoulder and blasted the room with his fists and his Devil Fruit power. "We're outta here!"

"Let's go!" Usopp shouted.

"Run!"

The rubble from the attack scattered in all directions; sending sharp pieces of rock flying into the air and causing boulders to rumble and tumble below. Luffy landed steadily on his feet as he started to run away from the hideout. Smoke rose the remains of the lair as Hikari appeared beside him running as well.

"H-Hikari," Kaida smiled.

"Gon!" The fox replied, filled with relief. Then several rustles were heard.

"Oi, Luffy!"

"Hey you guys!" He glanced behind to see this crew running behind him. "Why're all you here?"

"Idiot," Sanji smiled, knowing his captain. "There's no way we'd leave you alone to have all the fun, let alone with a beautiful lady!"

"Mhmm. We realized you'd probably get your idiotic ass in a bunch of trouble again!" Zoro smirked.

"Haha! You're funny Zoro," Luffy laughed. Suddenly his Haki activated. He halted his running, causing the others to crash into him.

"Luffy! What are you stopping for?" Nami shouted indignantly.

"Quiet," Luffy replied sternly. "Here they come!" Just as Luffy's last words left his mouth, several bullets rocketed across the area in front of them.

"Someone's shooting at us!" Usopp yelled. He put his goggles on and prepared his slingshot.

"We've got to be careful," Robin stated looking from side to side. "There's obviously someone who doesn't want us here."

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Nami mumbled.

"Yohohoho….this is scary!" Shouted the skeleton. More bullets rushed past as at least a dozen men surrounded the Straw Hats. Most held a gun that was precisely pointed towards them; others held sharp swords and all showed a look of absolutely no mercy. Each of them also had a symbol of some sort- a skull with waves encircling around it.

"It's them! The Tsunami pirates!"

"We're surrounded!"

"Hehe…Attack!" A muscular man with a mustache shouted, thrusting his large, ivory sword in the air.

"That can't be good…" Luffy said. He looked at his opponents carefully then shouted, "Go!" The crew scattered in different directions, each of them aiming to bring down their opponents.

"Gomu-gomu no…whip!" Luffy shouted. He threw his foot out as it stretched and tripped the pirates. "Yosh!"

"Take this you dirty pirates!" Sanji screeched. He forcefully kicked the pirates then stood on his hands and smacked them helpless. "Next time treat a lady with more respect!" However, when Luffy wasn't paying attention, one pirate swung from nearby tree branch and stole Kaida from Luffy's shoulder.

"Haha! Got you now!"

"Kaida-chan!" Luffy shouted. He turned to see the pirate landing swiftly on his feet and running towards the shore. "Wait you bastard eh-?"

"Argh!" The pirate suddenly fell flat on his face. Kaida- who was seen by Luffy as a lump- wiggled out from underneath the fallen pirate. She jumped off and started running towards Luffy.

"Hurry up! He's gonna be on his feet again soon!" She urged. Luffy nodded and hoisted her up again when, in the blink of an eye, Kaida was captured again. This time, a man with strong arms, great height, and scrawny legs held Kaida by her handcuffs,

"My captain will sure be happy to hear about this!" The man laughed. He waved Luffy good-bye. "See ya!" The man sprinted off towards the shore where the Tsunami Pirates had docked just as the final member of the crew had fallen.

"You guys!" Luffy pointed towards the man who was running faster than even Usopp could when he get scared. "Follow him! He stole Kaida!"

"He did?" Sanji yelled. "Kill him!" He echoed as he trailed him with the others trailing behind. They ran across the island, following the skinny pirate across the shores until the man had leaped onto an enormous vessel adorned in pearls and deep blue seashells.

"Wow! What a big ship!" Franky shouted. He removed his sunglasses to marvel at the spectacle. He ran his enormous robot hand against the side of the ship. "The craftsmanship isn't that crappy up close…"

"Hurry up you guys!" Luffy smacked Franky's head with his hand. "We've got no time to lose!" As the crew leaped on the deck of the pirates' ship, they were amazed to see that the entire crew did not have a single weapon in hand. Each had an evil smirk resting upon their dirty, unshaven faces. The thin man they had followed began chatting with a large man with wild hair, a large mustache, and a large sword swung over his back. The scrawny one pointed towards them.

"Them." The captain smiled as he gazed upon them. The Straw Hats gulped—afraid to stir trouble with the strange man. As usual however, Luffy bolded shouted.

"Who the hell are you? What are you gonna do with Kaida huh? Give her back or I'll make you!"

"Ohoho, so sorry sir," the man smiled, several gold teeth shined in the sun. "And you are?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm going to kick your ass and become King of the Pirates!"

"You will eh?" The captain laughed. His laughter shook the ship. It was deep and low but growly at the same time. "I'm afraid that won't happen."

"Oh yea? Watch me!" Luffy threw his arm backward and shot it at the man who took a direct hit.

"Captain!" The injured man's crew cried. The swiveled their heads towards Luffy. "Get him!"

"No!" The Tsunami's captain bellowed. "I'll handle this. Maybe we can reason." He cringed, rubbing his punctured stomach. _So this is the said man to become King of the Pirates. The man who raided Impel Down…and came out alive…_"Do it." He thrust a finger at the man they had been relentlessly chasing. The crewmate hooked Kaida to some metal pole and kept her rested upon his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Kaida bit the man, her teeth vigorously digging through his shoulder.

"Ouch! Let go fish!" He slapped Kaida's face as she became limp once more.

"Silence!"

"W-What are you planning?" Usopp and Chopper demanded. The captain smirked.

"Watch. Throw her down, Kirk!"

"Yes Captain!"

"W-what the hell are you doing!"

"Gon!" Hikari barked. She charged towards Kaida in hopes of saving her, only to get kicked and shoved by the members and thrown into a sort of cage with clear walls.

"You're not going to save her," a member waggled his finger as he hiccupped. "Watch."

"Now!" Kirk released Kaida, throwing her off the boat.

"Kaida!" Luffy and his crew shouted, enraged.

"Wait!" The captain held a hand up to wait.

As Kaida became to fall off the boat and into the shore her thought rushed through her mind. _Why…why is it always me? That can't-they shouldn't know…and to learn of me of like this! What will he think of me…_Tears began streaming down her face as memories flashed in her mind. Happy memories. Sad ones. Devastating ones. More tears formed as she plunged into the shallow shore's seawater. A few seconds passed. A light shimmered from below the water.

"Alright…reel her back in!" Kirk slowly spun the spool of role until finally something appeared on the end of his fishing pole. Brilliant violent scales sparkled in the light. A beautiful design of flowers shimmered and the tail fins seemed to glow like the vibrant moon.

"K-Kaida?" Luffy murmured.

"No way…" Nami blinked.

"Can't be…can it?" Sanji whispered.

"It is…it's Kaida!" Luffy yelled.


	8. The Past: Part 1

"What? You didn't know?" The captain replied, a bit startled.

"N-no…" Luffy stuttered. "We didn't know at all."

"Ohoho," the captain raised a clammy hand and pinched Kaida's wet cheeks. "This dirty fish didn't tell you? She's half mermaid! Makes her an even bigger prize!" Kaida remained stiff as tears manage to plop out.

_Why did it have to happen…why…_Kaida thought desperately.

"Well, what do you think? How about you and I," the captain trotted over to Luffy and slung an arm around him. "How about, you help me get information outta her and then I sell her, and you'll get ¼ of the price! What do you think?"

"Eh?" Luffy shouted in disgust. The captain continued.

"And that there fox over there-why, anyway fur trapper or black market buyer would practically die for a fox of that high breed and power, and not to mention fur color! So what do you say? You'll get ¼ of the mermaid's price, and the opportunity to sell the fox with me on the black market and get ¾ of the profit?"

_He's probably going to sell me and Hikari…like every other pirate I've ever met…_

"No way you bastard!" Luffy smacked the man's arm away. "She's not an item! She's my friend!"

"F-friend…" Kaida mumbled under her breath. She opened her eyes and stared at Luffy from her pitiful position. Her eyes closed once more…memories began to flow…she began to drift away…

_The Past _

Beneath the amber waves of the New World, a ship with an unruly crew and captain sailed upon the vast open ocean.

"Oi, Takao! Get the hell up into the captain's office! He wants to see you," a man growled. He jabbed a sleeping man with a bony finger.

"Hm?" The sleeping man opened an eye and carefully sat up. "What the hell would the old man want now?"

"Just get your ass into his office."

"Fine, whatever…" Takao shoved his hands into his pockets and walked towards the captain's quarters. "I'm here." Takao was a man with broad shoulders, a strong body, and a handsome face. His dark brown hair was angular on the left in a large bang; much like Kaida's-only a bit centered and thinner while the rest of his hair remained chin length and wavy. On the right side of his face was a large, zigzag scar that ran its way through his face and ended at Takao's cheekbone.

"Takao…I'm glad you're here. I've come to assign you to something; a very important assignment that you _can not _and _will not _fail. Understand?"

"Sure," Takao shrugged. He had been a slave his whole life. His father was once a pirate slave bought from the cruel Human Auctions by the previous captain of the Tsunami Pirates. Though the first captain died, the son of the captain-Aeveru, became the new man-in-charge of the Tsunami pirates and Takao was forced to become his abiding slave, always doing his bidding and ever little whim Aeveru so desired. Through unlikely events, Takao managed to impress Captain Aeveru with his intelligence and formidable fighting skills and became first mate-the right hand man of the captain. Now, the captain has asked Takao of an important assignment…

"You understand that you can't tell anyone alright?" Aeveru growled.

"Yea…okay," the first mate replied bluntly.

"Alright then, follow me." The Captain stood up and faced the left wall of his cabin. He knocked at it three times and a staircase opened. Takao raised an eyebrow, _what the hell does this old man want me to do anyways? _

"Uhm, old man. Why is there a hidden chamber underneath your cabin?"

"This is your assignment." He clicked a light switch. The room flashed all of a sudden when a scream was heard.

"Eek! He's back!" Splashes were heard as their eyes began to adjust in the bright light of the room.

"Is that…?"

"Indeed it is. 'Tis a mermaid I found foolin' around the ship! Ain't it a beauty? We'd be fetching a hefty price for a thing of such rarity and beauty don't 'cha think?"

"How the hell does this relate to this 'assignment' then?" Takao crossed his arms as he peered in the glass bowl the mermaid was being held.

"Your job is to protect her at all costs until we reach Sabaody Archipelago. Make sure that if we ever cross paths with some other pirates, that she remains safe here until the bidding."

"What kind of fish is she? Does she have a name?" the first mate asked. His mind raced. _Bidding-that can only mean one thing: we're going to those hellish Auction Houses…_Takao shuddered at the thought. He remembered his own memories of the auction houses. The cramped and crowded storage rooms where creatures and humans were caged. The smelly stench of decaying bodies of claimed "useless" beings or unsuccessful sales, the shouts of greedy buyers and the sound of waving cardboard numbers and desperate arms flailing in the crowds. He blinked back to reality and faced the mermaid, carefully studying her.

"I'll leave you here alright? There's some food and a bed and all that stuff down here for you to take care of her too. She needs to be in the highest state of health and beauty when we reach the auction houses in two weeks. Got that?"

"Whatever you say sir," Takao waved a hand. Captain Aeveru grunted and thumped up the stairs and closed the door. Takao sat down in a wooden stool by the glass bowl that held the mermaid.

"Uh…uhm…" she mumbled. "Are you, going to hurt me?"

"What?" Takao blinked, taken be surprise. "What are you talking about? Of course not."

"Oh, that's good!" Her pearly white teeth pulled into a smile. "It's kinda scary here. Do you live here?" Takao remained silent as he stared at her.

"No…Hey, aren't you-afraid of me?"

"Why would I be afraid of you?" She gasped. "Wait…you're not going to hurt me are you?" She backed away from Takao, trying to put as much distance between the strange man and her.

"Of course not. I have no reason to hurt you," Takao replied.

"Then…can you let me out?" She said hopefully. A cute smile spread across her gentle face, obviously trying to woo him.

"Nope. No can do-the old man says I gotta make sure you're ready for the auctions."

"Please!" She shouted suddenly, pressing her face and hands against the glass bowl-her chains rattled. "You gotta let me out! This place is a prison!"

"That's the idea…" Takao mumbled. He tried changing the subject. "Uhm…anyway-my name's Takao. Yours?" The mermaid's troubles disappeared.

"Oh! Nice to meet you! My name is Shinju," Shinju smiled. "I'm a fantail beta mermaid and I like being set free by men by the name of Takao."

"Haha, that's funny," Takao smiled sarcastically. "But there's no way you're getting out of here."

"But!"

"Anyway…" he said as he lied down on the bed in the corner of the room- cutting Shinju off. "It's getting late. Go to sleep. Good night."

"Good night…" the mermaid mumbled as she eyed the human. Her soft, silky light brown hair wafted in the water of the glass bowl. Streaks of pink and blue strands of hair decorated her hair. She wore a bubblegum pink puffed sleeve top and gold and coral hoop bracelets. She let out a sigh. "Humans are strange creatures. They don't seem to enjoy themselves very much…" She turned her back towards Takao but glanced back-mumbling. She twirled around in the water, a little splashed over the edge of the bowl, her chains rattled, she settled in a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep. Life continued like this for about a week. The usual rude awakenings, terrible meals, Takao telling Shinju stories of his pirate life to past the time, the captain popping in and out occasionally, everyday is was almost like that. Until one day…

In the morning, Shinju was rudely awakened by the clamors and heavy thudding footsteps of the Tsunami's crew above. She twitched a bit and nearly toppled over her majestic mermaid tale as she squealed at Takao's intense eyes staring at her. He flinched backwards as well, tripping over his bed, knocking over a pail of drinking water. The pail soared in the air like a one-winged bird and landed straight on Takao's unsuspecting head. Shinju, still in quite of a shock, managed to croak out a giggle. Soon, her laughter filled the room as tears were spilling out of her eyes. Takao grumbled a bit and nudged the bucket so he could just below his soaking fringe.

"Uh…er, well uhm, good morning to you to!"

"Hahaha….good morning…hehehe…to you as well Takao!" Bubbles rose in the bowl and Shinju laughed. Her smile somehow comforted Takao. He stared blissfully at her-feeling content for the first time in a long while.

"Hm?" She said after she finished laughing. His gaze didn't falter as his grin widened. Shinju began to blush. "Is-is there something on my face?" She rubbed her cheeks together, much to the interest of Takao. He chuckled.

"Hehehehe."

"Hm? Hey, you just chuckled!" She smiled. She continued making funny faces at Takao. Soon the two were laughing like time had stopped and they were in their own world. _Man, I haven't laughed in such a long time…it seems weird. Oh well…she's amazing that mermaid…_

_BAM!_

The door at the top of the winding staircase flung open. There stood Captain Aeveru.

"Fish! I have your breakfast!" The captain trudged down the stairs and set down a platter in front of Takao and handed Shinju a few biscuits and bread.

"Eat up Takao! Make sure that mermaid eats her special biscuits too. The cook used some special food or something…anyway! Make sure she eats!" With that and a few grunting steps up the room, the door slammed and Takao and Shinju were left along.

"Go to hell old geezer," Takao gritted between his teeth. The mermaid floated in the bowl-looking at Takao with much confusion.

"Hey, Takao…why do you hate the man so much? He isn't that bad."

"It doesn't matter…you should eat. Here," he handed her the strange looking biscuits. She took a bite and immediately spluttered it out.

"YUCK! What is that thing made of?"

"I don't know!" He tried a bit himself and nearly vomited. "Ew, you're right-this is disgusting. Take some of my food." Shinju paused a bit.

"Really? Y-You're giving me some of your food? But it's yours! I can't have it…"

"It's fine. I always steal something from the fridge upstairs anyway. That cook can't even boil water."

"Hm…really? That's weird, even I can!" She said between chews. She took more bites of Takao's bread and finished it. "Ah that was good! Thank you!"

"No problem at all-glad you liked it."

"Hm…hahaha! You're funny you know that Takao?"

"W-what? What do you mean by that?" He replied, flustered. "Are you calling me a clown?"

"No…no….it's just that you humans are funny creatures!"

"We're not all just strange…we're evil!"

"Evil? You sure?"

"Yes! All of us!" Takao shouted while flailing his arms. Shinju's voice hushed to a silent whisper.

"Then…are you evil Takao?"

"Of c-eh?" He paused and stared into the innocent dark brown eyes of Shinju. Her colorful long hair gently wafted in the water circulating in the bowl as she eagerly awaited his reply. He turned to the wall and bowed his head. "Not at all-but many are."

"See?" She smiled- her voice as quiet as a mouse and as soft as silk. "You're not _all _horrible." Takao turned and smiled, tears dripping down. He wiped then away.

"No…we're not all terrible."

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not."

"Yes you are. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Talking about it will make you feel better…"

"I said _nothing!_" Takao shouted. The man grunted as he angrily glared at her. His eyes were red and sore. The scar on his face reddened and pulsed-it started to throb. He clutched his head in pain and agony and tumbled backwards, knocking over his sword. Shinju remained in her position poised and tall. She was unafraid of learning the truth. She opened her mouth but not as soon enough as Takao raced up the stairs, slammed the door, and left the room in perpetual darkness.

He raced away from the secret door underneath the captain's quarters and once more, violently shoved his dirtied hands into his pockets. He sighed and decided to take a little walk around the deck of the ship. As he walked towards the port, snickers were heard from the other members.

"Yo, Takao! How's life eh?" They teased, knowing he lived a horrible life.

"What does the old man want you to do now huh?"

"Hey Takao! Go steal some sake from the kitchen for me will ya? Haha!" Other whispers and murmurs engulfed around him as he silently walked on.

"I heard he killed an entire fleet of Marines just to impress the captain!" One gossiped. "And with just his bare hands and a pocket knife too."

"Well, I heard that he's just some lowly slave's son the old captain bought from the auction houses."

"Lookout! Here he comes. Be careful ya'll. He might just sneak up on yer and kill ya in your sleep with his bare hands!"

"That lowly man…thinks he's so mighty just 'cause he's the captain's right hand man!"

"To hell with yer boy!" A scraggly old man yelled. He spat in Takao's direction, sorely missing. Takao remained indifferent as he reached the peak of the ship. He stood there-watching the final rays of the fading sun. The last few beams of light shimmered on the seemingly solid waves. He brushed a hand through his enormous bang and gently brushed past the scar to which he winced a bit. He sighed and turned to look at the ship.

"To hell with this place," he gritted between his teeth. He trotted back towards the hidden chamber to greet and apologize to Shinju. He began to open the door from the captain's hidden cabin to the secret chamber beneath it. Something glittered in the sun's light as it caught his eye.

"Hm?" He waited there for a moment, grabbed the shining object; then made his way down. Takao flipped the light switch, thinking about what to say; _Ah…no that doesn't work…uhm... maybe? No-that's too fast…_Before he realized it; he was standing right in front of the mermaid. She looked up to him and a smiley quickly spread across her soft face.

"Takao! You're back!"

"Oh, er, hi Shinju," he sat down in the chair next to the tank. "Uh here-it's dinner."

"Thank you!" She accepted the bread from his hands at the top of the tank. In no time she had finished it all.

"No problem…uh. Listen; I'm really sorry for what happened earlier…I wasn't thinking straight…not like I do anyway but I just wanna say-"

"Sh."

"Hm?"

"Tell me," Shinju began. Her eyes shimmered bright and bold; Takao could even see his reflection in her glass-like eyes. "Tell me-why do you hate this place?"

"I do not hate this place."

"Mmm?" She stared at him doubtfully. "Yes you do. I'm not as stupid and clueless as you think. I know you dislike being here. So tell me, why?" Takao hesitated for a moment and sighed.

"Guess there's no way I could keep hiding it any longer…"

"Please tell me. I want to understand your sadness and help you."

"If I tell you," Takao began slowly, "do you promise…to not change how you see me? To not…judge me…or to be afraid of me?"

"I promise. I shall always be by your side," she replied sternly, holding one hand up to keep her promise.

"Okay…so…in this world there are bad people. I've never met good people…but that changed, when I met you."

"Tell me more…please," she whispered smiling.

"I wasn't even born yet when my parents were being sold. They were both pirates that were captured by Marines, then sold to Captain Aeveru's dad who died later. After a few years, I was born and we were okay. Then we went to a weird island and a plague struck us. My father and I were okay, but my mother…she was very weak. The captain…thought she was useless so…" Takao paused and struggled to hold back tears. "He killed her then threw her off the ship. I've never felt sadder in my entire life. To make matters worse, my father was so in love with her, that he almost cried himself to death. It may sound silly, but we were all he had. He never had siblings-in fact he told me that he didn't even know his parents. I was eight."

"Oh Takao…" Shinju cringed through tears. "That must've been very hard for you. To go through all that…at such a young age."

"It's okay…but my father…he later died of malnutrition. He missed my mom that much as to not eat or sleep or do anything. 'Course the captain didn't care. We were just slaves to him. He just threw my dad off the ship. Last I ever saw of him. And then…I worked my way up the totem pole, not easy. I thought I would gain respect but…no. I get even more despised for causing others to go below me but I don't care. I've gone through too much to be hated like that!"

"Takao," Shinju murmured.

"Hm?"

"Why-why do you follow that man then? If he's so bad and you're strong, why don't you just leave or fight him?"

"You don't get it do you? In the life of pirates, it's best to make as many comrades as possible. Pirates are ruthless; making enemies is just ensuring your own death. Plus, he's go like an entire armada and so many allies. If I did that now, I'd be signing a contract with the devil."

"I see…do you believe things will get better for you?"

"I…don't really know. May I add though…I feel better after talking to you," Takao smiled, little droplets of tears forming near his eyes. He abruptly rubbed them away. Shinju simply floated there, looking upon Takao with pensive eyes. Silence drifted through the room as it wrapped them both in suspense.

"You know…you should run away."

"What?"

"You should run away. Away from this horrible place and start life anew!" Shinju shouted happily. "The world is big, even with all his allies, there's no way they'll be able to find you that easily! The world a big, beautiful place!"

"I understand that…but…"

"But what?"

"But…what about you? Didn't you hear? My captain is planning on selling you at the Auction Houses in Sabaody Archipelago. I…don't want you to have to go through the same pain as I did."

"Takao…"

"No…absolutely not! I-I can't have that happen…"

"You know…it's been quite a long time I've been here …but may I say…that…I-I love you?"

"Wha-what?" Takao stuttered. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean…I. Love. You."

"Love me? How can you? I'm the one keeping you locked up in here," he stammered.

"Well…you help me pass the time. You're the only one I know on this ship and the only one that I feel comfortable with."

"What about your other mermaid friends?"

"They probably think I'm dead by now. It's been a long time since I've seen the ocean…"

"But…love me? Is that even possible? I'm a lowly pirate that doesn't know love. Nor will I ever."

"Maybe…you can…anything is possible Takao. Being on this ship has stopped you from believing anything."

"I suppose…but I'm too shy to say…"

"Do…do you love me?" An awkward silence echoed in the room. Takao stood there looking at the mermaid. At those eyes that could make you scream your biggest fears, your most outrageous dreams; the eyes of the one whom you could somehow always trust.

"I…" Takao hung his head, to hide his face. "I do," he whispered almost inaudibly. She smiled.

"That's wonderful," she mouthed. He looked at her with little droplets of happiness in his eyes.

"You know, it's been a long time since someone has told me they loved me."

"I can tell. Was it…your mother?" Shinju asked. He nodded.

"Yeah…but she's up there in the sky with my dad now…"

"Oh…" Shinju glanced upward, only to see the dark, grainy wooden ceiling.

"When was the last time you saw the sky?"

"I really don't remember…"

"Then…will you…run away with me?"

"Hm?" Shinju looked at Takao's outstretched hand at the top of the bowl. She looked up then glanced back down at him. "I would love to," she replied as she swam up the glass cage. She daintily took his hand and held it for a long time. They gazed into each other's eyes until the loud thuds of Captain Aeveru's overweight feet clogged the room.

"Oi! Takao!"

"He's coming!" Shinju quickly lurched backward, back into the glass bowl while Takao retrieved his swords from the corner of the room and marched in front of the bowl. The door slammed against the wall as the captain angrily tumbled in.

"Y-Yes sir?"

"What the hell is wrong with yer? Some of them men on deck told me you left yer post and was taking a stroll on deck! What did I tell you, you no-good-dirty-rotten low-life slave!" He grasped Takao's scruffy hair and crashed it into his own head. "Listen here boy, you may have impressed me with yer smarts and battle skills; and you may be the first mate, but _I _am your superior and you listen to _me _not your devil heart or will or whatever you call that thing inside ya that creates dreams! Ya hear me?"

"Hey! Dreams are a wonderful thing!" Shinju shouted.

"Shinju!" Takao gritted between his teeth. The captain swiveled his head at the sound of the mermaid's voice.

"_Excuse me missy?" _He growled. She immediately flinched backwards as he thumped his way towards her tank. "I suppose you've got something to say?"

"N-no….I-I don't…"

"That's what I thought. Anyway," he turned back to his first mate. "Make sure you ain't spewing random shit around here. You're bringing ideas for this mermaid fish thingy. That's all. I better not see ya around anymore!"

"Yes sir…" Takao replied, a bit mortified. Captain Aeveru nodded as he mumbled on his way upstairs, "Piece of shit. Should've just let someone else do the job." The door slammed. The two waited silently, then Shinju giggled.

"Strange man…he lacks a heart and no dreams? Unbelievable!"

"He's just a big pain in the ass. Trust me, I had to serve him my entire life. It's not fun."

"I can tell. By the way, when are we running away?" Shinju said, looking cheerfully at Takao.

"Soon. Tomorrow maybe. I…have the keys after all," he dug into his pocket and showed her a silver key."

"You…have it? When?"

"I got it…yesterday…when I was coming back to apologize."

"Let's leave as soon as possible!"

"What? So soon? Why?"

"Well…you're wasting your life here aren't you? You're not out in the world! The world is a big place Takao! I know you've probably seen the world but…try seeing it without chains and restrictions! Think about it…you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. Letting even the wind of the sea take you far, far away from reality…that's what true freedom is."

"I suppose…fine. Alright then; tonight. Be ready. We'll leave at midnight. There are some spare boats at the side of the ship; we can escape that way."

"Perfect. I'm so excited!" Shinju said, swimming back flips in her bowl.

"For now…we wait…"

"Yes…." The entire day, they waited patiently for their hour to come. The daily routine continued. When the crew had long fallen asleep, as well as the captain, midnight rose. The darkness of the night fell before them. Takao tapped at the bowl, waking Shinju. She quickly sprang up from her slumber as Takao unlocked her chains. He hoisted on her back as they quietly climbed the stairs and grabbed their bag of provisions from the kitchen. After reaching the spare boats, he carefully set her down in the little boat and climbed it. Takao slowly but silently brought them downward, cut the rope from the ship, and paddled away. He kept on paddling….and paddling…and paddling until his arms were sore and tight. Nothing guided them. Stars and the solitude of the night went with them.

They travelled along for a long time. Sometimes stopping by islands to rest and recover. It was about the fifth day they were on the open sea when Shinju pointed towards a fairy large island in the distance.

"Look!"

"Hm? Whoa."

"It's amazing! We should there! Right by the sea and hidden away!"

"Well I guess," Takao smiled. Going a little farther won't hurt…"

"But Takao! It has the best possible view of the ocean, the sun, the night sky, and look! So many pretty flowers! Look, look, look!"

"Alright calm down!" He laughed. He looked towards the island and on of its hilly outcroppings. _That island does look like the perfect place to be. I doubt we'll ever find someplace nice and beautiful like this…_"Okay, let's go!" He paddled harder and harder as the island grew closer and closer. As they grew nearer, they spotted people on the island. They looked towards their direction and waved happily. One of them, a kindly old lady waved cheerfully and shouted, "Welcome! Are you here to stay? Please come!"

"Yes we are lady!" Shinju shouted back. "We'll be your new neighbors!"

"Oi, Shinju; we're not completely sure yet!"

"Hm? Yes we are Takao! This is the perfect place! I can feel it!"

"If you say so!" Takao chuckled as the final stroke made the boat hit the soft, sand of the island. He couldn't believe it. He could finally go on his own; and with someone that he loved and loved him. He could finally understand what Shinju meant by freedom. As Takao watched Shinju sit on the sandy beach, the lady looking delighted and surprised at the prospect of meeting a mermaid, he stood there on the soft, silk-like sand, glancing ever so often at the clear, blue ocean that he finally found beautiful, basking in the glorious sun's rays; he knew he was free.


End file.
